Bittersweet
by Kete.Hlin
Summary: Modern Fanfiction. Darcy and Lizzy have known each other from their infancy and hated each other since they were children. Now they're seventeen. Have the years changed anything? COMPLETE! I promise the story is better than this lousy summary - Hlín
1. Bump

Chapter 1 – Bump

EPOV

It all began when we were six years old. Will and I had been forced by our parents to attend some stupid dance lessons. My twin sister Jane was there too but she actually enjoyed them. I remember Will stomping his foot impatiently, wishing to be anywhere but there. His best friend, the ever jolly Charlie came up to him and told him to ask someone to dance.

"I don't know how to," Will said. "All the kids will make fun of me."

"How about Lizzy? She won't make fun of you." Charlie suggested.

I don't know what look came on Will's face but whatever it was, it made Charlie say:

"You like her!"

"Do not!" Will yelled back.

"Do too!"

"No! She's nice but I don't _like_ her," Will said.

"I _know_ you want to ask her to dance."

"No, I don't. She's not pretty enough to dance with."

It broke my heart to hear my best friend say that. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. I was too mad. I strode towards him and gave him my famous 'I'm mad at you' look. He seemed terrified. Then I stepped on his toes and left him crying out in pain. I walked home slowly because I knew I'd get yelled at by my mother.

My mom was pregnant with my little sister, Kitty at the time. She said I was the cause of her going early into labour and the reason why she and my father only had three kids. They wanted more but I was too much trouble. So what they basically told me was that Kitty was a mistake baby. She denies now that she ever insinuated anything like that.

When I finally arrived at the house, Will was there with his parents. His face was covered by his wavy brown locks but I could see his brown downcast eyes were puffy. I almost felt sorry. Almost

"Where have you been young lady?" my mother started.

"Nowhere," I said.

Then she started yelling at me. I don't remember what she said, mainly because I wasn't listening but I remember what I saw. What I saw was Will's mouth turning into an vicious smirk. He was enjoying that I was being yelled at! That was the moment I decided that Will would never enjoy anything related to me, ever again. That was also the day Will and I started relentlessly teasing and picking on each other.

It started innocently enough. Poking and pulling each other's hair, blaming each other for something the other did and stealing each other's favourite things. We also made fun of each other's names. His first name is actually Fitzwilliam but he never tells anyone that. I made fun of him for it and he made fun of my middle name Daenerys. I stopped making fun of his name when I realised that I actually thought it was kind of cool. He admitted that he thought the same of mine so we gave it up. That was also around the time he stopped calling me Lizzy and started calling me Ben instead.

Our little arguments later evolved into actual fighting. It started with fistfights until our parents grounded us for two weeks after we broke a few of the Darcy's lawn decorations. From that moment on we became known for our verbal riots.

Now we're both seventeen and we still get into occasional public fights, but we try to keep our fights within our homes. It helps to have rooms right across each other so we can yell from there. Of course, our neighbours usually yell at us and tell us to shut 'the fuck' up (the swearing mainly comes from old Mrs. Hughes).

We are of different social groups so it's easier for us to ignore each other most of the time at school.

Will is a part of the popular crowd and has an on and off relationship with the College bitch, Caroline Bingley. She's Charlie's (remember him from our dance lessons?) little sister. The siblings are complete opposites; she's cold and bitchy and he's warm and friendly towards everyone, _especially_ towards my twin sister Jane.

I, on the other hand, am a part of the loser crowd along with my best friend Charlotte. My twin sister Jane sits with us most of the time but she's a cheerleader and therefore very popular. She isn't however like the rest of the popular crowd. She's the prettier twin, for sure but she's also much nicer than I am and very lovable. So it's no wonder why people prefer hanging out with her rather than me.

This semester I have to survive three out of six courses with Will: Science, History and English. I was just on my way to Science class when a door opened, more specifically in my face. I yelped in pain and put my hand on my forehead, where it really stung.

"Oh, sorry," came a voice I knew all too well. He noticed me for the first time that day. "Hey, Ben. You look... _lovely,_" he said staring at where I knew I now had a lump on my head. I was not pleased when I saw he was fighting a smile. His girlfriend joined us before I could lash out at him.

"Wait, Willy!" she said, grabbing his arm. She also noticed me and my forehead. "Oh my God! You have the grossest pimple I've ever seen!"

"Thank you, Caroline," I said sarcastically. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a class to attend."

I walked off and I sensed Will following me. I took a seat at the back and he surprised me by sitting next to me.

"Are you lost?" I asked him.

He looked at me with a strange expression but didn't answer. His eyes travelled up.

"You should go to the school nurse and have her check that out," he said quietly, referring to my protruding forehead. For a moment I thought he was actually concerned until I thought the better of it.

"And _you_ should watch where you're going."

"All I did was open a bloody door! It's not like I did it on purpose."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you did."

"I'm sorry, alright!" he practically yelled.

_What?_

"What?"

"I said I was sorry."

_What?_

"What?"

"Ms. Bennet, please be quiet," the teacher scolded me. Of course, only me and not Will. Will is an angel.

"Sorry, Mrs. Luther," I said, my eyes were still trained on Will but his eyes were on the teacher.

After class I actually did what Will told me to, not that I'd _ever_ admit that, and went to the school nurse.

"Oh, you've got a nasty bump on your head," was the first thing she said when I entered her office.

_And thank you captain obvious._

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Do you have some ice or something."

She fetched frozen beans from the freezer. I never knew the nurse had a freezer in her office. You learn new things every day. I eyed the bag suspiciously before putting it against my forehead. It soothed my bump and I immediately started feeling better. I walked out of her office with the bag on my forehead and a smile on my face. I groaned when I saw Will leaning on the wall just outside the door.

"I see you took my advice."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I said and walked on with him following suit.

"I was worried," he said and I decided that he was joking.

"Well don't be. I've spent too much time around you to be hurt easily." I meant it as a jest but it had a little truth in it.

I continued walking towards the cafeteria and this time he didn't follow, thankfully. I sat down in front of Charlotte. She was reading a book for class so she didn't notice me at first.

"Why do you have peas on your forehead?" she asked once she noticed my presence.

"I'm starting a new fashion trend," I said. "Like it?"

"_Love_ it!" she said, partaking in my joke. "But seriously, what happened?"

I sighed. "Will Darcy happened. He opened a door on my face."

I could see that it took everything in Charlotte's power not to laugh. And then she burst. I even started laughing a little with her until my head stung like hell and I gasped in shock.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked genuinely concerned.

"Brain freeze," I explained and took the bag of peas down for a moment. I shouldn't have. Caroline took that moment to walk past our table with a disgusted look on her face. She turned to her overly makeuped friends and immediately started badmouthing me and my poor little bump. It's not like it's my bump's fault that he/she is so ugly.

"Willy!" Caroline exclaimed when Will came in sight. He was looking at my table until he was captured by Caroline's arms. "I missed you!"

"You saw me five minutes ago," Will claimed and tried to untangle himself from her grasp.

She ignored him. "Have you seen Eliza Bennet's face? It's even worse than usual. She should really learn how to use make-up. I know some people claim to like 'natural beauty' but there's no beauty without the help of make-up. I mean, look at her!" she said loudly and sniggered. Her laughter died down when she saw that Will was in fact looking at me. "Willy! Let's go. I don't want to stand so close to Eliza's pimply face anymore."

"Yes, Caro," he said without interest and continued to stare at me.

They walked to their own table, she was still holding onto Will and I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Charlotte and I shared a few giggles at Caroline's display. We had both often wondered why Will was even with Caroline. They weren't a great match at all and he didn't even seem to like her very much. Well, Will didn't really seem to like anyone.

Charlotte and I noticed Charlie crashing into a freshman when Jane walked by him. He helped the poor boy up and was blushing furiously. Jane didn't see any of it and continued her walk towards our table.

"Seems like he's falling for you Janie," Charlotte said and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Who, what?" Jane asked, confused as she took a seat.

"Charlie," I told her. Then I turned to Charlotte to correct her, "and it's not really falling."

"My bad, more like crashing," Charlotte amended and the two of us laughed.

Jane didn't seem to understand any of this. She simply shook her head and handed me a part of her lunch. She knew I had forgotten to make something for myself – a part of our twin sense type of thing. I thanked her before taking a bite of her delicious sandwich.

"So, English after lunch," said Charlotte.

I groaned. "Please don't remind me that I have to spend an hour with Miss Cheese Doritos and her asshole of a boyfriend."

Charlotte laughed but Jane looked at me with a disappointed look.

"Don't be so mean, Lizzy. She's a very nice girl," Jane said. I couldn't help the snort that came out of me when she said that. "I mean it, just give her a chance."

"I would if she wasn't so _in my face_ all the bloody time," I said.

"Lizzy," Jane said in her warning tone of voice.

"I'll behave," I said flatly.

After lunch Charlotte and I headed towards our English classroom. We took our seats in the back and Caroline went for a seat in the front and pulled Will with her.

"All of you should have finished reading Romeo and Juliet by now so I will begin class with a short pop-quiz," said the teacher, earning groans from around the room. "Yes, yes. Your life is horrible, I get it."

He handed out a paper with questions, which I filled within a few minutes since I had read Romeo and Juliet at least four times and knew the story by heart. What can I say? I'm a nerd. After the quiz the teacher gave us assignments that we were supposed to work together on. My partner was of course Charlotte. Together we finished the project early but instead of letting us go home the teacher gave us another assignment. Joy. Our eyes kept wandering towards Will and Caroline. Will was busy working on their assignment while Caroline was talking loudly about something that her boyfriend was obviously not listening to. Charlotte and I shared looks and smirks, at least until Charlotte screwed up her face.

"Oh, gross! Your bump has started to leak!"

"What?" I exclaimed loudly, alerting everyone in class. Charlotte handed me her small mirror from her make-up kit and I wanted to puke when I saw my reflection. It was indeed starting to leak some disgusting looking fluid. I covered it with my hand and asked permission to go the bathroom.

"I don't know, you've interrupted the class enough–"

I had put my hand down, displaying the horror that was my forehead. The teacher didn't hide his disgust and let me out of class. I was halfway towards the ladies room when I heard Caroline's loud voice complaining about my appearance, probably to Will or anyone who bothered to listen.

I washed up my face and got a new bag of frozen beans from the nurse. Upon my return to class it was hard to miss Caroline's expression but I chose to ignore it.

"Did the giant goldfish get a good laugh out of me?" I asked Charlotte, referring to Caroline.

"Yeah, she enjoyed it but no one laughed along. Not even Will."

"Strange, I would have thought he'd gloat since it was his own doing."

"Maybe he's cosying up to you, Lizzy," Charlotte said with a suggestive eyebrow raise.

I snorted and the teacher gave me the evil eye, warning me not to interrupt his _precious_ class again. I remained on my best behaviour that day until I came home.

My mother greeted me with a smile until I took my hat off, showing her my darling bump. As a nurse, she knew what to do and my swell soon became smaller.

"What on earth happened?" she asked after I had swallowed some pill that was supposed to help.

"Will slammed a door into my face," I told her.

"Oh..." She hesitated. "Well... I'm sure it wasn't intentional."

"No, of course not," I mumbled.

She stood up, claiming to need to speak with my father. Without turning around she said: "By the way, the Darcy's are coming over for dinner."

Shock would not even begin to describe the expression on my face, nor how I felt.

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	2. Dinner

**Your reviews make me titter like a little girl and do a happy dance!**

**I took your reviews into account and this chapter came out.**

**Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the other but I hope you still enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice nor the characters.**

Previously on Bittersweet: We got to know our favourite couple's past through Lizzy's eyes. They're not on really good terms, especially not when he slams a door into her face. We also got to meet the bitch Caroline, AKA Will's girlfriend.

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><p><span>Chapter 2 – Dinner<span>

WPOV

I couldn't believe I had to bear a dinner with the Bennet's... dinner with Ben. Her family was nice and friendly and all but there was something about Ben. Whether it was the fact that she hated me or her beautiful eyes I did not know. It wasn't as if I _wanted_ to throw insults at her at any given opportunity just so I could see those green eyes of her sparkle. I loved the way they lit up every time we argued and it was most definitely worth almost getting beat up for... not that I'd _ever_ tell her any of that.

I walked with my parents to the house next door shortly after six. It was strange not to have Georgie by my side, she certainly would have made the evening better, but I had to get used to it; Georgie was in Italy now... she was safe.

It was Franny Bennet who opened the door. She had on the same large smile as usual and hugged us all. Mom handed her a bottle of vintage red wine as we were invited in. Then I saw Ben. Her bump had diminished considerably. She too was smiling but, as always, it wasn't directed to me. Dad gave her a bear hug and mom gave her a kiss on both cheeks. I nodded my head in her direction as a greeting.

Franny walked us to the living room where Kitty and Jane sat. She went into the kitchen, dragging poor Tom with her, to finish preparing the meal. Mom had offered her help but Franny declined, saying: "Don't be silly, Anne. You're our guest!"

It was silent and awkward in the living room when Franny wasn't around to make meaningless conversation. I looked to Ben and saw that she was sending a silent plea to her twin.

"So George," Jane began, "how's the business doing?"

Dad was a bit surprised that she had spoken to him about his business; he wasn't used to the attention.

"It's doing very well, thank you for asking. In fact, we recently added yet another branch."

"Really?" Jane asked. "Where is it located?"

"Here in town, actually. About time too." Dad chuckled. "You know, we might need some recruitment during the summer and your father told me how interested you are in law."

I looked to Jane surprised; I never would have guessed she was interested in law. I noticed that she was blushing.

"Would you be interested in working there next summer?" Dad continued.

Once again I looked at her. She was smiling widely as she said: "I would love to!"

Jane continued to speak to Dad about law and about working in his firm. Mom listened to the conversation interested and joined in. Ben, Kitty and I were silent. Kitty had picked up her Social Studies book and I found myself becoming jealous that she had something to do, even if it was reading for school.

I turned to Ben to start a conversation of our own.

"So," I began, "have you read any books lately?" I inwardly cursed myself for lack of a better subject. She raised her eyebrow at me. "Besides Romeo and Juliet, I know it's your favourite – "

"How do you know it's my favourite?" she interrupted.

My face became a little warmer as I tried to explain.

"I, um, I've seen you read it a few times..." I trailed off and went silent; I wasn't about to announce to her that I often looked at her through her bedroom window as she sat at her desk or on her bed, reading.

Thankfully, her mother announced that dinner was ready and we all took our seats at the dining room table. Franny and Tom sat at each end of the table and I sat next to Ben. Jane sat next to my father and she was still discussing law with him. Franny had pulled my mother into a conversation about some new knitting magazine or something.

"How has school been, button?" Tom asked Ben as he passed her the potatoes. "I see you haven't killed Will yet."

"No, not yet," she said and gave him a smile.

I looked down to hide my own.

She passed me the potatoes after having her share of them.

"I beg you not to discuss your plans to murder me at the dinner table, Ben," I said deadpanned and passed the potatoes along. "It's incredibly rude."

"My deepest apologies, Will. I'll be more discreet in the future," she said wryly.

Again, I looked down to hide my smirk.

Dinner went on. Dad was still deep in conversation with Jane but now they had begun to talk about schools she was going to apply to; Franny was talking to mom about the new episode of 'Desperate Housewives' and Kitty joined them enthusiastically; Ben was speaking to her father about books, which didn't surprise me at all; and I sat in complete silence. I gazed at Ben a few times but I knew she was ignoring me.

We ate dessert in the living room. Kitty had taken up her book again and Tom was helping her with her studies. Now Ben had no one to talk to and I could see that she had turned to me. She was probably picking her brain for a subject but found none. Her mouth opened and closed a few times and I had to comment on it.

"You look a bit like a fish, Ben, close your mouth," I said. She closed it and pressed her lips into a tight line. I could tell she was hiding a smile and I was a bit amused myself. "Don't tell me I've finally managed to shut you up."

"Never!" she said theatrically. "I was only thinking that–"

"Lizzy!" Jane said loudly from the other side of the room, interrupting her speech. Jane hurried to where we sat. "George is going to write a reference letter for me to Harvard Law School!"

Ben partook in her excitement, squealing and hugging her.

"That's great but aren't you a little bit young to be thinking about University?" she asked cautiously.

"It's never too soon to start," she said, still smiling.

I inwardly smiled; that was something my father had always told me and he had obviously just given Jane the same speech I had gotten a number of times before.

She told Ben in short everything Dad had told her, both about the summer job and law school. I was drawn into the conversation and ended up having a rather nice talk with Jane. I had never thought we had much in common but there it was. Ben still sat between us and she looked completely lost.

We left the Bennet's around eleven that night after we were all hugged tightly by Franny. Dad was still smiling when we walked into our own home. There he continued to talk about his conversation with Jane.

"It's so great to meet a young girl with such an interest in law," he said.

"Yes, she's truly gifted," Mom said and I rolled my eyes. "I remember that Tom used to read law books to her and Lizzy when they were children."

Dad chuckled. "Yes, good old Tom. No wonder his daughters are as smart as they are." He paused a bit. "She's a lovely girl, isn't she? Jane?" he continued. This question was directed at me. It was probably yet another attempt to get me to break up with Caroline; my parents weren't particularly fond of her.

"Yeah," I said and scratched the back of my head without a conscious thought. "Well... I'm off to bed. Goodnight." I kissed my mother's cheek and walked up the stairs to my room.

I brushed my teeth in the en suite bathroom before returning to my bedroom. I thought about calling Caroline before going to sleep but that all changed when I turned the lights on. From the window across me I saw Ben. She looked positively adorable in her pink giraffe pyjamas and a smile spread unbidden across my face. I shook my head, as if attempting to shake her out of my thoughts. I undressed and got into bed. I saw Ben crawling into her own, book in hand, as usual. I could tell by the cover that it was Romeo and Juliet and another smile appeared on my face. Ben remained in my thoughts as I drifted off to sleep.

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	3. Civil

**Note: They're in Secondary School :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice... unfortunately.**

Previously on Bittersweet: We get to see an evening with the Darcy's and the Bennet's through Will's eyes. He seems to have some feelings for Lizzy but we discover that he has more things in common with Jane than her. Mr. Darcy offers Jane a summer job at his law firm.

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><p><span>Chapter 3 – Civil<span>

EPOV

I woke up to the sounds of Kitty singing loudly to 'Moves like Jagger'. I groaned into my pillow before forcing myself to get up. I did my usual routine: washed my face, brushed my hair and teeth, picked up some clothes from the floor and put them on, and then headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Dad sat alone in the kitchen with his morning paper.

"Good morning, button," he said when I entered. His eyes were still glued to the newspaper and he occasionally sipped his coffee.

"Morning, Dad," I said and opened the fridge. I grabbed a yogurt and sat down on the stool next to my father.

Our love of peace and quiet was something we had in common so neither of us said a thing throughout breakfast. I could still hear Kitty singing loudly and my mother was yelling sleepily from her room for Kitty to be quiet. "Sorry, Mom," Kitty said after turning the music down.

Jane joined us downstairs, incredibly fresh faced considering she just woke up.

"Good morning," she said with a wide smile. You could easily tell that she was still thrilled from last night. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great, apart from when your mother praised George... all night," Dad replied from behind his paper. Jane and I smiled.

"How about you, sis?" she asked me.

"I slept fine... I would have preferred to wake up to something other than Kitty's wailing though," I answered. Jane gave me a stern look and I gave her an 'angelic' smile.

Jane and I walked together to school after breakfast. The weather was nice which was no surprise since it was early May. We turned around when we heard someone walk behind us. I knew before I turned that it was Will.

"Hey," he said.

I mumbled a greeting while Jane let out a happy 'hello'. He walked beside us to school. It wasn't as if it had never happened before but this time it was different. He actually spoke. It was mainly to Jane but the fact that he spoke completely blew my mind. I had no idea about what they were talking about the entire walk but they looked passionate about it. I was completely lost though and I gave up trying to understand their conversation.

I was incredibly happy when I saw Charlotte in the parking lot in front of school. She was stepping out of her father's car when she noticed me. I practically ran to her to get away from Will and Jane. I hugged her tightly.

"Whoa... are you high?" she said amidst the hug.

"No, I'm just so happy to see you!" I explained and let her go. She continued to stare at me strangely. "What?"

"Why are we friends?" she asked deadpanned. I laughed and we walked inside.

Jane was still walking along Will and Charlie walked towards them. His smile faded a bit when he saw that they were together but it came back quickly when Jane smiled to him. I don't know what they were saying but Charlotte and I were looking at them until the bell rang. I sighed deeply and tried to prepare myself for History class.

"Have fun, babe," Charlotte said and winked at me.

"I hate you," I mumbled. She walked laughing to her classroom.

I sat down in the back of class as usual. I saw Will come in and he sat down somewhere in the middle. I sighed thankfully, praising the Lord in my head that he had not taken a seat next to me. The teacher came in shortly after he did and he immediately started class. I blanked out as soon as he started talking. Mr. Collins had that affect on everyone. I didn't need to look around to know that people were already falling asleep. I myself had begun to daydream about me representing England in Eurovision. I don't know why I did that since I have no singing abilities, nor do I enjoy singing much. I suppose everything was better than to listen to Mr. Collins talk about the Civil War.

It was close to the end when Mr. Collins said loudly: "So! I expect your four page essay about the causes and consequences of the Civil War tomorrow." There was silent panic among the class. The teacher sighed. "I gave you this assignment last week." Then he smiled. It was the type of evil smile many teachers gave you when they knew they had given you an assignment you couldn't handle. It made you want to walk up to that teacher and punch that smile right off his face.

I sat next to Charlotte in the lunch room and made a theatrical sigh.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Mr. Collins," I replied.

"Did he make another speech about the _great_ Lady Catherine de Bourgh?"

"Probably..."

"You weren't paying attention?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Not _strictly_ speaking but can you really blame me?

"So what was with the sigh then?" Charlotte asked.

"I have to write some stupid essay for History for tomorrow."

"About?"

"The causes and consequences of the Civil War."

Charlotte waved her hand. "That's easy, just Google it."

"Dude, it's Mr. Collins! You _know_ he wants references from some big ass historic books."

"True..." she said and looked pensive. "You're in deep shit."

"That's very helpful, thanks," I said sarcastically.

Jane joined us at the table and immediately started talking about Will.

"–and he said we could get extra credits in University if we take a few courses here _and_ work at Pemberley Law."

Charlotte and I nodded our heads, neither of us listening with much interest. If she noticed her speech fell on deaf ears she didn't remark on it. It was nice, though that she felt so passionate about something, even though it was one of those few things that I could not relate to.

I smiled warmly at my twin as she continued to talk animatedly about her future.

After school I went to the school library to gather some information for my History essay. I asked the library lady for some help but she just looked me once over and said: "It's in the war section... section number 164." Of course I couldn't find section number 164. I found 160 and next to that section was section 168. I sighed and sat down by the nearest computer. I figured I could take Charlotte's advice and Google something and find some books in my father's office later that day.

I had written a few notes for myself to base the essay on when I sensed someone sit next to me. I didn't look up though until I had finished scanning another internet source. When I finally did turn I was surprised to see Will sitting at the computer by my side. I noticed he was also doing his History paper but he had books. His essay was, however, almost complete.

"Stop reading over my shoulder," he mumbled, still staring at the computer screen.

I snapped out of some sort of a trance I was in. "I wasn't."

"Yes, you were," he said and looked at me. Then he turned his eyes to my computer screen and raised his eyebrows most likely at my 'impressive' excuse of an essay. "You do realise that you're supposed to hand it in tomorrow?"

"I know that, I didn't have time to do it," I said. He nodded and turned his eyes to his book. "Where did you get the books?"

"Section 164," he said without looking up.

I sighed. "And where is that section?"

"Right next to section 109."

"What?" I asked befuddled. "That doesn't make any sense."

"That's how Mrs. Piscue rolls," he said and looked up. "If you had entered the library before you would have known that."

I bit my lip to keep me from lashing out at him. "I have used the library before, Will."

He snorted and said sarcastically "Sure you have..."

"I have!" I yelled.

Mrs. Piscue walked up to me and put her finger over her lips and shushed me. She had leaned in so close I could smell the bourbon and cigarettes in her breath. I whispered my apology and she disappeared. The smell of her, however remained. From the corner of my eye I could see Will fighting a smile and I huffed before turning back to my pathetic collection of notes. Because I had been very well trained in ignoring Will I had no problem with that the next hour or so. At least until he spoke up in a quiet voice.

"Would you like some help?"

Those words coming out of his mouth came as a huge shock to me. Never had I imagined him offering me any type of assistance.

"Seriously?" I asked doubtfully

"You look like you could use the help, and I'm more than willing to."

"Seriously?" I asked again. It was just too surreal.

"Shut up, Ben. You sound like a parrot," he said sounding more like himself and it was strangely reassuring. "The library closes in thirty minutes and you need all the help you can get if you want to finish this before tomorrow."

I hated to admit it, even just in my head, that he was right. I looked at my one and a half page essay and sighed. I ended up accepting his help with a small, thankful smile. He turned into the serious study version of himself and started ordering me around. I almost snapped at him a few times but Mrs. Piscue always chose to appear in those moments so I stayed quiet, though inside I was fuming.

Mrs. Piscue kicked us out as soon as the library closed. But that was alright, I had finished most of the essay. The rest I planned to do as soon as I got home.

I thanked Will (this is embarrassing to admit) profusely when we stood in front of the school.

"No need to thank me, Ben. I'm happy to help a... um, a family friend?" he said uncertainly.

"Not entirely true but sure, that works," I shrugged.

He put his hand out and I shook it awkwardly.

We walked home together in silence. Neither of us said goodbye to the other as we reached our homes.

I finished my essay with the help of my father. I breathed out when I pressed the print button.

"Pay more attention in class next time," Dad said with a wry smile.

"Oh, please. You're the one that fell asleep during his speech at my first day there," I said with a smile of my own.

"I was only resting my eyes... I'm an old man, we do that," he explained and put his hand on my shoulder to guide me out of his office.

"And how about the time you interrupted my primary school teacher with your snores?"

"I'm a teacher, button, not the student so technically I don't need to stay awake during lectures."

I rolled my eyes with a smile and bid him goodnight. I changed into my pyjamas and grabbed my worn out copy of Romeo and Juliet. You could call it an addiction to have read it many times and still want to read it over again, but I call it love. And true love never dies.

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	4. Invitations

**Happy new-year everybody! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice**

**Please, please, _please_ don't kill me for the shortness of this chapter. I promise a big one is coming soon.**

Previously on Bittersweet: We find out that Kitty can't sing, Will can actually have a conversation with Jane, and that Lizzy is a hugger. Will helps Lizzy with her essay because she's a very naughty student that spends her History lessons ignoring the teacher.

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><p><span>Chapter 4 – Invitations<span>

WPOV

"Charlie."

I don't know how often I had said his name, attempting to get his attention. His eyes remained fixated on Jane Bennet. I said his name a few more times, each time a little louder until he finally snapped out of the trance he was in.

"What?"

"You know she can see you," I pointed out to him.

He cleared his throat and returned his eyes on his food. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Just ask the girl out, man," I said. "I'm sick and tired about hearing you moan about how fantastic she is and how beautiful. Make us all feel better and just ask her out."

"I can't do that," he said terrified.

"Why the hell not? What have you got to lose? It's not like she's going to lose her opinion of you, she hasn't got one!"

"What?" he asked, really confused.

"I was just trying to be funny..."I sighed. "I just meant that she doesn't know you at all because all you do is stare at her. You've never really spoken to her."

"I _have_ spoken to her," Charlie said.

"Group projects don't count," I said. He opened his mouth to speak again but I interrupted him, "Neither does offering her a bite of your sandwich in the third grade."

"You're right," he sighed. He looked very pensive for a few moments and I moved my attention back to my lunch. "I'm going to throw a party!"

The food I had attempted to put into my mouth fell back on my plate.

"What?"

"My parents are going to be out of town on Friday so it's the perfect time to throw a party. Then I have an excuse to talk to her _and_ she'll think I'm cool!"

"Charlie, I don't know how to say this but there's no chance in hell she's ever going to think you're cool," I said deadpanned. I cracked a smile when he started to chuckle.

"It's settled then; I'm throwing a party!"

Charlie spoke to his sister about his plans when we arrived at their house. She did not like it, which was odd considering the fact that she usually loved parties. Charlie looked to me for help and I, being the good friend I am, helped him convince his sister.

"Fine, I won't tell Mom and Dad but I'm not coming," she said.

"Why not?" Charlie and I asked at the same time.

"I just don't feel like going to a party," she explained. To me she looked like she was hiding something.

"But it will be your party too... you need to be there," Charlie said.

"I'm busy," she told him and gave him a look to shut up.

"Doing what?" I asked calmly.

"It's none of your business, Willy," she said sweetly.

"It _is_ my business. You're my girlfriend and I want you as my date," I said.

"Take your precious 'Ben' with you," she said angrily.

"Don't start this again, Caro. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like her that way... I don't like her at all!"

"Marnie saw you at the library with her! She said you looked pretty cozy together."

"I was only helping her with her essay... I would have done the same for anyone," I said.

"Oh, great! So it's not just Lizzy Bennet, it's everyone?" she exclaimed.

"I'm just going to leave now," Charlie said behind us.

We ignored him. Frankly I had forgotten he was even there.

"You know that's not what I meant, Caro. Why do you always have to pick a fight?"

"I'm not picking a fight! I just hate it when it gets so obvious that you don't want to be with me."

"What makes you think I don't?"

"You spend more time with Lizzy the Loser than with me, your girlfriend!"

"That's not true," I said. I can't explain why Caroline calling Ben names annoyed the crap out of me but it did.

"Yes it is! Tabitha saw you go into her house _and_ leave it later that night."

"Who the hell is Tabitha?"

"She's my friend, and she lives on the same street as you and that... that... _girl_."

"Did Tabitha mention to you that I was with my parents?"

"Um, no..." she said quietly.

"No? No, of course not. Your friends always want to think the worst of me."

"That's not–"

"Don't try to deny it, they don't like me... they think I'm a player... that I'm just using you. But I'm telling you Caroline and I'm asking you to trust me; I'm with you, no one else,"

"You promise?" she asked. She had unshed tears in her eyes.

"Of course."

I pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. I heard her whisper, "I'm sorry". I responded with a muffled, "It's okay". I kissed her sweetly on the lips and held her tighter.

...

I went as Charlie's wing-man (AKA helper in case he'd get tongue-tied) to invite Jane and the girls to the party. We walked towards their table in the lunch room. Charlotte was reading while Jane and Ben were speaking animatedly to each other. They didn't seem to notice us when we stopped in front of their table so Charlie and I cleared our throats. Jane looked at the two of us with a smile while Ben looked at me with contempt.

"What do you want?" she asked me annoyed.

"Lovely to see you too, Ben," I said sarcastically.

"I just came to... to..." Charlie faltered when he looked at Jane and saw that she was looking back at him.

"To invite you girls to a party on Friday," I finished for him.

"Us?" Jane, Ben and Charlotte asked surprised.

"Yes, you," Charlie answered. He was referring to them all but he only looked at Jane when he spoke. I saw a faint blush cross her cheeks but his face was as red as a tomato.

"I don't–" Ben began but was interrupted by Jane.

"We'd love to come," she said and smiled towards Charlie.

Charlie's insides must have felt the great need for him to burst out with a girlish-sounding giggle. I raised my eyebrow at him and I saw Ben do the same. She had a small smile playing on her lips and gave Charlotte a look. Jane was still smiling good-naturedly when I dragged Charlie away to avoid further embarrassment.

"Oh, my God!" he said once we were out of their sight. "That was so embarrassing, I can't believe I did that. What must she think of me?"

"Calm down, Charlie. I'm sure she's used to you embarrassing yourself around her."

"That does _not_ make me feel better, William Darcy!"

"Come on, we need to invite other people to this party or she'll know that she's the actual reason for it."

I dragged him to a computer and we started sending invites to everybody in school we had ever associated with. We also invited a few people that we knew outside of school.

Charlie's smile looked accomplished once we had sent out all the invites. Then that smile turned into a worried frown.

"Christ, what now?" I asked.

"I think I invited the freshman girl who's obsessed with me."

"The more the merrier!" I said loudly and smiled.

The freshman in question had clung herself to Charlie her first few weeks here. No, I'm not using 'cling' as an expression; she actually clung to Charlie. At first, Charlie was thrilled with the attention. He may be rich and, according to some, handsome but he wasn't used to girls fawning over him. He did most of the fawning by himself. He was shy around girls and that seemed to make him more approachable by them. But he was always friend zoned by the girls he associated with. He wasn't really bothered by that but with Jane it was different. He had been in love with her since I could remember. I remember long nights when we were younger where he would talk about her relentlessly. I'll admit, I dozed off a few times. I mean, who wouldn't? But every time I would wake up again he was still talking with that dreamy expression on his face. Being his best friend there was nothing more I wanted than for him to grow the balls to ask that girl out on a date.

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><p><strong>If you want me to have a goofy looking smile glued to my face for no apparent reason, leave a review. It always makes me smile to see my email filled with them.<strong>


	5. Party

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice.**

**justlovefanfiction2901 suggested that I'd have a short summary before each chapter and, me being the darling I am, chose to do so :D Enjoy! **

Previously on Bittersweet: Charlie lacks the balls to ask Jane out on a date so instead he decides to throw a party. Meanwhile, Caroline and Will have a little fight because she's a jealous, paranoid bitch and thinks our lovely Fitzwilliam Darcy is cheating. They reconcile, however (don't throw your tomato's at me).

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><p><span>Chapter 5 – Party<span>

EPOV

I didn't know why but for some reason I agreed to go to Charlie Bingley's party. Maybe it was the way my lovely twin sister batted her eyelashes and begged me to go with her. I had initially said no since partying is not really my thing but Jane and Charlotte have this control over me. So, after hours of begging (fine, I'll admit it: I caved in within a few minutes) I agreed to go to the party.

Now I was being held down to a chair as Jane proceeded to torture me.

"Hold still," said Jane as she attempted to put mascara on me. I leaned away every time she came close to me with that black-coloured weapon. "I can't do anything unless you hold still," she said sighing.

"I can't hold still when you're pointing that _thing_ in my face."

"You promised I could do your make-up for tonight," she said pouting.

"I lied."

"Come on, Lizzy," she begged with the greatest puppy-dog face of all time. Seriously, a badass macho-macho would surrender after a few seconds.

"Ugh, fiiiiiiine," I relented. She clapped her hands together excitedly. The things I do to make her happy.

She spent a few more moments on my face until she gave up. I inwardly smiled. Then she started doing my hair but that was fine with me. I had gotten used to people touching and playing with my hair – they enjoyed the length and the thickness of it. (This entire sentence sounds really pervy, doesn't it? Or am I just dirty minded?)

I donned on my black leggings and my long, red shirt. Jane opted for a summer dress that were a great match to her blue eyes. We picked up Charlotte on our way. She was wearing skinny jeans and a blouse. We hurried into the car and Jane drove off with us. There would have been no way for us to get lost because the street the Bingley's lived in was filled with cars and kids from our school.

"At least we won't be the first to arrive," Charlotte commented.

"The place is packed!" Jane said. "How are we going to get in?"

"Jane, the guy who lives there is practically in love with you. I'm sure he'll be jumping towards the skies when he sees you," I said, earning a light slap on the shoulder from my darling twin. "I mean, I'm sure Charlie will let us in."

I was right. Not about the part where Charlie jumps towards the skies but the part where he let us in. Well, he might as well have jumped high in the air when he saw Jane. His face was covered with pure joy as he greeted us. He mostly ignored Charlotte and me when he said hello to us, though.

"Thank you so much for inviting us, Charlie," Jane said with a smile.

"No, er, um, yeah, thanks, no problem," Charlie managed to stammer. It was cute, really.

"So Charlie, where can a girl get a drink?" Charlotte asked.

"Over there," he pointed towards a boy I recognised from my Algebra class.

Charlotte pulled me with her to get ourselves some drinks. We both glanced in Charlie and Jane's direction. Now Charlie was, or at least it seemed like he was, giggling. Jane laughed good-heartedly along with him. Charlotte and I exchanged smirks before we took a sip of our drinks to hide our own laughter. After one glass of some disgusting mix we hit the dance floor. I think it was around the seventh lousy song that I realised I had to use the bathroom. I told Charlotte so and took my leave. In front of the bathroom was a long row. In front of me was a guy that seemed pissed out of his mind. I found it quite entertaining to watch him try to hit on the girl that was in front of him.

"I could _totally_ rock your world, baby. Just gimme a chance," he slurred. The girl screwed up her face and looked very thankful when it was her turn to use the bathroom. "Are you playing hard to get?" the boy asked the bathroom door. I tried not to laugh.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and I turned around. It was Will. I groaned loudly.

"Nice to see you too, Ben," he said with a smile; a smile I hated.

"Where's your darling pumpkin?" I asked. Then I laughed like the idiot I am at my own fabulous joke. I had always enjoyed making fun of Caroline's orange clothes. They just screamed at you: _I'm orange, make a joke out of me!_

"She couldn't make it."

"It's her house," I pointed out confused.

"Yeah, I know. I thought it was weird too but," he shrugged.

"And she let you come here... without her?" I feigned shock. "I didn't think she would let you out of your leash."

"Clever, Ben," he said with a wry smile.

"Thank you, I spent a moment on it."

We waited a few more moments without speaking a word.

"You look nice," he said after a few moments of silence, if you count out the loud music.

That completely took me by surprise and I had nothing to say. If he had insulted me, I would have found a retort but what the hell are you supposed to say when you're complimented? Thankfully, it was my turn to the bathroom so I didn't actually have to say anything. I was thankful until I closed the door. That's when I first noticed the smell. When I opened the toilet seat, I saw the cause of it.

"That's disgusting!" I said aloud, breathing through my mouth. I went back to the party before I would throw up. I walked straight into a wall, or so I thought. Instead I had walked into Will on my way out and for some reason I warned him: "You do _not _want to go in there."

"Why? Did little Ben make a doody?" he said in a teasing child-like voice.

"No, 'little Ben' didn't have the chance to 'make a doody' because of the nasty smell of someone else's 'doody'," I said, air quoting at every opportunity.

I left him there and joined Charlotte on the dance floor again. She pointed to where Jane was dancing with Charlie. They were dancing rather slow to the up-tempo song. Charlotte was doing her usual robot dance, making me completely jealous for lacking that dancing skill. Next thing I knew the police had arrived.

"Turn off the music!" one of the officers demanded. The music was immediately turned off. Everyone was silent.

"We've had complaints about loud music and underage drinking," another officer said.

"There's none of that here, sir," Charlie spoke up.

"Oh, yeah? Then what is this?" the police man asked, holding up a bottle of whiskey.

"Um, I, er, I have no idea how this got here..." Charlie tried to lie but failed. He had never been a good liar.

"I took it from an unconscious minor."

"Oh," Charlie said quietly.

"Who owns this house?"

"My parents," said Charlie.

"And do they know of this party?"

"Um, well... no."

"I didn't think so. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Right, I'm bringing you in for questioning."

"What?" Charlie asked, worried.

"I really don't think that's necessary, officer," Will spoke up.

"I think it is, and if you have a problem with that you can join your friend to the station," the officer threatened.

"I'd be happy to," said Will unabashed.

There was a stare down between the officer and Will, and I found myself for some reason rooting for Will.

They were both brought down to the police station and the party guests were forced to call their parents to come and pick them up. My father was not happy at all to be woken up by such a call and expressed as much.

"You know better than to drink, Lizzy," he said. "You're too smart to do something so stupid."

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry," I said and I truly meant it. He sighed. "Am I grounded?"

He actually chuckled. "You know I could never do that, button."

He ended up giving me a lecture of the consequences of teenage drinking before making me go to bed.

I called Charlotte that night to see how her parents reacted.

"They just told me not to drink without telling them first," she said.

"Wait... you're _allowed_ to drink?"

"With permission, yes."

"Dude!"

"I know, I know. Dad said something like: 'I know I can't stop you from drinking so I won't. Just don't keep it a secret or you'll get into trouble'. I think it's because of John."

John was Charlotte's older brother. He had been around our age when he went drinking with three of his friends. None of them were of age and they were all too scared to tell their parents that they had been drinking. So instead of calling them to pick them up, they tried to drive home themselves. They crashed into another car on their way and John and two of his friends died that night, along with one of the two passengers from the other car. John's friend who had lived was the one who had driven the car. His name was Lou. He had been Caroline Bingley's boyfriend at that time. He was now in a wheelchair and had never forgiven himself for killing his friends nor the young girl from the other car.

I could sense that Charlotte was also thinking about the crash since she had become rather quiet.

"You okay?" I asked her.

I heard her sniffle. "Yeah, just hadn't thought about it in a while."

We ended the phone call after a while of thoughtful silence.

After I had prepared for bed my mind wandered to Will. I could see from my window that he was not in his bedroom so I wondered why his questioning was taking so long.

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><p><strong>Next chapter is much longer and the more reviews, the faster I'll post it! :D<strong>


	6. Condemned

**Disclaimer: Pride and Prejudice is totally not mine. If it were, I'd be talented and very rich and the last time I checked I wasn't.**

**You are all very lovely *pats your heads*. Now, stop dawdling and start reading :P But first, a little summary of the previous chapter:**

Previously on Bittersweet: Charlie had a wild party at his house as an attempt to 'get jiggy with' Jane. It was all for naught since he embarrassed himself again and got busted by the cops. Also, the most important thing, someone made a doody in Charlie's toilet and didn't flush.

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><p><span>Chapter 6 – Condemned<span>

Charlie was allowed to go home once his parents were brought in to pick him up. He had a clean record so they let him go with a warning. His parents grounded him and expressed their disappointment in him.

"I thought we had raised you better than this," his father had said.

"I'm sorry."

"Think about what could have happened."

"I'm sorry, mom," Charlie said truthfully, "I wasn't thinking. I promise you, it will never happen again."

"Oh, we know it won't because you will never get to be home alone again," his father said. "Where's your sister?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen her all day," Charlie said.

"Go to your room," his mother said and Charlie complied silently.

My questioning went a little differently.

"We got a hold of your records," the police officer from before told me. I said nothing in return but inside I was fuming. "Turns out you've got yourself a rap sheet." Again, I said nothing. "Says you assaulted someone."

"The charges were dropped," I finally spoke up.

"Yes, the joys of being rich and spoiled."

I pulled my lips into a tight line and remained silent until my parents came to the station. I was free to go thanks to my father's representation. My parents were not very pleased with me and my behaviour and grounded me indefinitely.

"You know it's very slim chance that you'll make it to Harvard... or any other school with a record!" Dad said once we were home. I didn't reply; I knew I would only get myself in more trouble if I would try to defend myself.

"Go to your room, son," Mom said to me. I turned to the staircase.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Dad asked when I was halfway up the stairs.

"Ben is going to have a field day with this tomorrow," I mumbled and continued my walk into my room.

I was, unfortunately, right in that assumption.

I sat in all my innocence by my desk with my French book. The window was open and Ben took full advantage of that.

"How's house arrest treating you?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Shut up, Ben," I said annoyed.

"Ooooh, feisty! They like their men like that in prison."

"Ben," I said exasperated and turned to look at her.

"Alright, alright. I've had my fun."

"Thank you," I said and my eyes returned to my book.

"Just be careful when you take a shower."

"Goodnight, Ben!" I said loudly and reached to close my window.

Since I wasn't allowed to leave the house, use the phone or have anyone over Caroline became a bit annoyed with me. During school she would yell at me for not returning her calls or texts. I had given up telling her that my father had taken my phone away. During one of her fits I thought seriously about breaking up with her. The main reason that I was still with her was because she was my best friend's sister. I also knew that she was still with me because it was simply convenient for her.

I had liked her at the beginning of our relationship but something had changed... _she_ had changed. She wasn't the girl I had fallen for anymore. She didn't have the confidence I had liked so much. Now she was downright obsessive over me and so afraid to lose me to another girl. She was also so sure that I liked Ben more than I let on and I had only made it worse when I tried to correct that mistake. She had ended up crying and I had promised never to leave her. I wasn't the kind of guy that broke promises easily.

Then there was the fact that she had still not told me where she had been at the night of the party. She was still hissing at me when I realised this.

"Where were you?" I asked her.

She immediately shut up.

"What?"

"At the night of the party, where were you?"

"I don't see why that's any of your business," she said defiantly.

"Of course it's my business, Caroline! You know perfectly well that I'm not allowed out of the house and yet you feel the need to yell at me for not being at your every beck and call!" I had raised my voice much louder than I should have, considering that we were still in the lunch room at school. Many eyes were directed at us, Ben and her friends included. Caroline herself looked stunned and she went completely quiet. I lowered my voice when I continued. "Tell me where you were, Caro."

"I... I'm sorry," she said and stood up.

She left the lunch room and I hurried to catch up with her. She was walking across the parking lot when I finally caught up with her. I grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around and look at me. She turned but her eyes didn't meet mine; they continued to stare at the ground.

"Is it Lou?" I asked quietly.

I had realised a while back that things had changed, that she had become a little distant but I had brushed it off. I suppose I didn't want to meet the reality that she might still be in love with her ex-boyfriend.

She confirmed my suspicions by nodding her head.

"I'm so, so sorry, Will," she said.

She had tears in her eyes and for some reason, despite what she had done I wanted to comfort her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She laughed shortly. "I've been accusing you of the worst things when I know none of them are true... I guess... I guess I didn't want to lose you," she said and then laughed bitterly, "But I guess I never really had you."

"Don't try to turn this around," I warned her.

"I'm not," she said. Her once teary eyes now looked angry. "I'm merely pointing out the fact that you like Lizzy more than just a 'fight buddy'." I was going to interrupt her here but she held up her hand. "Don't try to deny it, we both know it's true. You and she are just too stubborn to realise it."

We were both quiet for a while. I suddenly became very aware that we were still standing in the middle of the parking lot. Some of the students had actually stopped and listened to our exchange. I found no reason why they would find this amusing or even worthy of listening to.

"So, is this the end then?" I asked Caroline.

"I guess so," she shrugged. She looked into my eyes when she said, "Please don't hate me, Will."

"I don't," I said quickly.

And I truly didn't. I felt a little relieved to be out of this relationship without having to break her heart. I realised that the only reason I was still with her was to protect her feelings. I cared about her, I'm not going to lie, but I had never truly felt like she was mine and I was hers. Maybe her going back to Lou was a good thing. I wished them all the best and I told her so.

"Thanks," she said shyly.

And so it was over.

I felt a bit sad since I had known her and been with her for so long but a bigger part of me was happy. I wasn't jumping with joy or anything but I was happy. Now I could focus on school and my potential summer job. Maybe I would even pay my attention to something, or someone, else too.

...

I told my parents about Caroline and me. They didn't really look surprise and they most definitely did not look crestfallen.

"Well, now you have time to focus on more important things," Dad said and slapped my shoulder as a fatherly gesture. I must have looked like a questionmark since he added, "Like getting into Harvard."

"Oh, George. It's too soon to start thinking about that," Mom said.

"Nonsense. It's–"

"–never too soon to start," Mom and I finished for him.

"Exactly," he said and winked at us. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Alright, I'm going into my room to study for my Bio exam," I said and headed upstairs.

I opened my Biology book and tried to read. It was uncomfortable because I had a feeling I was being watched. I turned around and saw Ben standing by her own window, staring in my direction. The expression on her face was not the same as the one she usually regarded me with. To me it almost seemed like she was sad or worried. I shook that thought out of my head; there was no way she would ever look at me with anything other than contempt.

I walked towards my window and opened it.

"Do you have something to say to me?" I asked with more anger in my voice than I felt.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," she said, completely blowing my mind.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said.

Mom then called and asked me to bring down my dirty laundry. I turned around from Ben's prying eyes and went down stairs with my laundry. I passed Dad on the way and he offered to bring them downstairs for me. I thanked him and returned to my room. I was shocked by what awaited me there.

"How did you get in here?" I asked Ben, who was currently sitting on my bed.

"I climbed," she said simply, as if it was the most obvious and normal thing in the world. "It's not as easy as when we were younger though."

I said nothing, I was too surprised to see her sitting in my room... on my bed.

"Aren't you going to throw me out?" she asked. "Call me something demeaning and wait until I lash out?"

I could tell she was joking by the sound of her voice.

I sat down on the bed next to her and sighed.

"So it's worse than you let on, then?" she said rather than asked.

"What?"

"The break up. You didn't seem to be very affected by it," she explained.

I shrugged. "It was long overdue."

"If you don't mind me asking," she began after a moment of silence, "why did you guys break up?"

I sighed and decided to tell her everything.

After I had finished my tale of the reason behind our breakup she surprised me by putting her arm around me shoulder and pulling me into a semi-hug. It surprised me, yes but by no means was it unwelcome. I returned the embrace the best I could.

"Funny how she accuses you for being unfaithful when she was herself."

"Hilarious," I said wryly.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"Mhm," I replied absentmindedly. The truth was I was very distracted by the scent of her shampoo and the faint smell of her perfume.

"So who were you allegedly cheating on her with?" she asked curiously. I let her go when she asked that question. Seeing the look on my face she added, "You don't have to answer... I'm just being my curious self." She chuckled nervously.

"You," I said.

"Me what?" she asked confused.

"She thought I was cheating on her with you."

She scoffed. "How on earth did she get that idea?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Maybe she thinks you treat all your suitors with distain."

She looked at me with an angry expression and I really thought I had done it; ruined any chance of us reconciling. I was preparing myself to apologise when she surprised me with a laughter. Her laughter was so contagious that I found myself laughing too. We would have continued had my mother not heard us and burst through the door.

"What's going on–?" she faltered when she walked in, seeing us sitting close together and laughing. It was not a sight she had gotten used to. She smiled warmly when she continued, "Lizzy, my dear, what brings you here?"

"Oh, I just came by to... to look for my book," Ben explained awkwardly. "Yeah, I threw it through the window, trying to get his attention."

That was actually true. I'm pretty sure I have a few of her books from when she threw them at my head for no reason at all. She always claimed she was bored and wanted me to yell and start a fight.

"Aha," Mom said in an unconvinced tone of voice. She then turned her attention to me, "Dinner's almost ready,"

"I'll be right there," I said, hoping she'd leave with that.

"Lizzy, would you like to stay for dinner?" Mom asked.

"Oh, um... sure. Thanks Anne," Ben replied shyly. The blush that appeared on her face was actually quite becoming.

"Great," Mom smiled. "I'll call your mother and let her know where you are."

With that, Mom left the room. We heard her shout at my father to add another plate. We also heard Dad ask her why. She explained that I had a girl in my room. I wanted to die.

I heard Ben chuckle quietly next to me.

Dinner wasn't the complete torture I thought it would be. Yes, Mom asked a few personal and quite embarrassing questions regarding me and Ben. We were both sure she had consulted with Franny Bennet with some of them. Dad was quiet most of the time, looking between Ben and me with a knowing smile. He was beginning to look a lot like his friend, Thomas Bennet.

After dinner, Ben and I went back into my room. It was pretty awkward since neither one of us knew how to act now that we were on alright terms. At least I hoped we were alright.

"I think I should go home now," she said.

I nodded.

"Do you want to use the front door?"

"Yeah, I don't really feel like breaking anything tonight," she said dryly.

"Oh, well... maybe tomorrow then," I joked.

I walked with her downstairs and opened the door for her. It was raining outside and I knew she didn't have a jacket.

"Um, I just realised I'm not wearing any shoes," she said.

I looked down at her feet. It was true, she was only wearing socks.

"I'll carry you," I suggested with a smile.

"I'm not willing to take the risk... I might end up in a puddle somewhere."

"You just gave me an idea!"

"Crap, I've got to learn to shut up."

"I'm going to remember you said that," I smiled.

She bit her lip, either as a nervous habit or to hide a smile. I couldn't tell since both were an option.

I took advantage of the silence and picked her up. She squealed and started laughing. I hurried into my shoes before she would have the chance to get away. I ran into the rain and stopped in front of a large puddle.

"Don't you dare!" she shouted. Her eyes were filled with mirth and I realised I liked that look in her eyes more than the look of anger I used to desire.

I ran with her in my arms to her doorstep. I put her down on a dry spot near the front door. She was still smiling and I found myself smiling back. She reached up to kiss my cheek quickly as a goodbye before going inside. It had only been a small, innocent offer of peace but to me it was much more.

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><p><strong>See, I told you a big one was coming... okay, maybe it's not <em> huge<em> but it's something :P**

**I hope you love me for dumping Caroline out of the story *heart* but sorry if this chapter is a little ridiculous. My excuse is that it was very late when I wrote it and I tend to act kind of strange when I stay up.**

**Review please and share your opinion.**


	7. New

**Just started school today so don't expect as frequent updates. I'll do my best and I have completed some future chapters but I keep changing my mind :/ Please just bear with me, alright?**

Previously on Bittersweet: Charlie are grounded for the party and we find out that Will has a rap sheet for assault. Will finally gets to know where his girlfriend was during that infamous party and breaks up with her because of her affair with her ex-boyfriend. They don't end it on bad terms, though (strangely enough). Lizzy climbs into his room and they make-up.

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><p><span>Chapter 7 – New<span>

EPOV

I could hardly believe I had done that. It had only been a kiss on the cheek but the way I was feeling it was like I had jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately... not that I'd _ever_ do that. And now I've got that image in my head. Ugh, thanks brain!

I prepared myself for school and walked with Jane. We met up with Charlotte in front of the lockers and started talking. I didn't mention Will because I was sure I would blush. Stupid traitorous cheeks.

Charlotte started talking about some new guy that was starting school. She didn't know his name, nor anything about him which was very unusual; Charlotte knew everyone. And I do mean _everyone._

The bell rang, forcing us to go our separate ways. It was time for yet another Math class. Well, Math was actually quite entertaining since the teacher, Mr. Horton was the most awkward person you'll ever meet. I'm not exaggerating. I'm going to give you something to base it on: When I was ten I had (yes, I was actually forced) to participate in a concert. I have told you before that I have no singing talent so it was very embarrassing. I opened my mouth and everyone went silent. At the end, no one clapped so I stood on the stage awkwardly, wishing I could bury myself deep into the ground never to be found again. Multiply that awkwardness with 10 and you'll have a snippet of a class with Mr. Horton.

I walked into class and picked my usual forever alone seat in the back.

"We're welcoming a new student to the class today," Mr. Horton said. "Please give a warm welcome to George Weekham."

"Wickham," the new boy corrected.

The guy looked pretty hot. Tall, dark-haired and pretty handsome.

"Wickham," the teacher repeated awkwardly. "Please, take a seat. There's one available next to Ms. Bennet," he said and pointed towards me.

The new boy smiled and walked towards my table. I knew for sure I was blushing furiously.

"Hi, I'm George," he introduced himself.

"Lizzy," I said simply and tried to smile.

Mr. Horton started the class but I hardly paid attention; I was too busy talking to George. He told me that he had just moved here from London with his sick mother. I must have had a sympathetic look on my face since he told me with a smile not to feel sorry for him. He also told me that he had moved around a lot when he was younger because his father had been in the army. But now that he was gone he was sure he was going to stay in this town.

"The people here are so nice," he explained with a wink.

I blushed again. I had blushed more that hour than through a whole day. Or even a week.

George walked with me into the lunch room but he didn't stay so I didn't have the opportunity to introduce him to Jane and Charlotte. He claimed he had to go see the guidance counsellor.

"Who was that you were with?" Charlotte asked. She had apparently seen me wave like an idiot to George.

"That was the new kid," I said.

"Really?" She sounded impressed. "He's hot!"

"I know," I said and (I'm ashamed to admit) giggled.

"What's he like?" she asked as we took our seats.

"He's great," I said and smiled widely. Then I composed myself, "I mean, he's alright..."

"Elizabeth Bennet, you've got a crush!" she whispered excitedly.

"Shhhh! I don't," I hissed.

"You _so _do! If your behaviour just now wasn't evidence enough, your face right now is. You totally like this guy!"

"I hardly know him."

"You don't know Colin Firth but you're in love with him," she pointed out.

"That's... different."

"Quit being so daft and tell me what he's like," Charlotte demanded.

I hesitated for a moment before telling her all I knew about him.

"They moved here because his mother is ill and apparently the hospital here is really good for her disease. They don't have a lot of money so he's trying to find a job but it's apparently really hard. He turned a bit weird when I asked him about that and he didn't want to tell me. But that was alright, he had told me plenty already. He added that he couldn't get help from his father because he had died in a battle a few years ago. He had been in the army since George was little so he's used to moving a lot."

"He told you all of this in one hour? After only knowing you for, what, three minutes?"

I hadn't really thought about it like that. Who would trust a stranger with so much information on the first day?

"Maybe he's just open," I said.

"Or maybe he's a liar trying to get into your pants," Charlotte said with a wry smile.

I scoffed. "The only one who's going to get into my pants is me."

"And me."

"That sounded so wrong, Char."

"You know what I meant," she waved it off.

"I don't know... for all I know that could have been an attempt to 'get with this'," I joked.

"Attempt? No. Succeed? Yeah, baby," Charlotte said and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm scared to ask what you two are talking about," came Jane's voice. She took a seat next to me and started eating.

"We _were_ talking about the new kid until Charlotte started getting all perverted on me," I said.

"You turned me this way," Charlotte teased. "I was innocent until I met you!"

"Perverts aside, who's the new kid?" Jane asked.

"Lizzy's crush," Charlotte said before I could get a word in.

"Shut up, Charlotte," I said. I turned to Jane and told her the same thing I had told Charlotte before about George.

"Doesn't it seem a little suspicious to you that he told you all of this within a few minutes of knowing you?" Jane asked as soon as I had finished.

"That's what I said!" Charlotte said loudly with her mouth full of food.

"You're so sexy," I said, making her smile coyly. Then I turned to my twin, "I don't really think so. I mean, I'm a closed person so I wouldn't do that but George seems really open and nice."

"I don't know Lizzy, I think you should be careful... he might be lying... or maybe twisting the truth a little," Jane said.

"Why would he lie to me?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't he?" Charlotte asked back. "You don't know him... I'm not saying he's a liar or that he can't be trusted but like Jane said: be careful."

"I will be, don't worry," I said and gave them a reassuring smile.

We continued with our lunch in easy going conversation.

After lunch I headed for History class with Mr. Collins. Given the fact that Will and I were on good terms I decided to sit next to him. He greeted me with a smile.

"Strange sitting next to you, I must say," he whispered when the class had started.

"Get used to it," I said and flashed him a smile.

"Damn, so I'm stuck with you?"

"Yup," I nodded.

"Ugh."

I gave him a look and he chuckled quietly.

"What's going on back there?" the Mr. Collins asked sternly. It was funny, really to see him try to act stern.

"Mr. Darcy was just wondering where you got that _beautiful_ antique desk," I quickly supplied a lie when it became obvious Will wasn't going to say anything.

"Oh, it was actually a property of the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh..."

I zoned out and I'm pretty sure the entire class did too. I could hear snores all around me and a low chuckle next to me.

"Well done, Ben," Will whispered.

"Thank you," I said proudly.

Mr. Collins had reached the point of his speech where Lady Catherine gave him his own set of golf balls when the bell rang. The bell woke up everyone in class, excluding Will. He had stayed awake reading a book for English class. I smirked to myself; I had finished that book when I was ten. I'm not bragging here, I'm merely stating a fact; I'm a book nerd.

I walked with Will to the lunch room. I think things were still pretty awkward between him and Caroline; he avoided his own table because she was sitting there with her friends. I took pity on him and offered him to sit at my table. He seemed relieved and accepted.

When we took our seats at the table, Charlotte stared between us.

"Um, Lizzy? Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked and pointed towards the girls' bathroom. I complied and walked with her. "Since when aren't you throwing things at Will and calling him a bastard?"

"Since we... reached an understanding," I said.

"So you're like friends now?"

"No... I don't know... Why does this matter anyway? You never liked it when I fought with him."

"It's just too weird to see you walk in here together like you're the best of friends when only a few days ago you were calling him the worst names in the book."

I had honestly forgotten about the day I had called Charlotte only to curse Will. Good times.

"Well, now we're... _acquaintances_," I cleared my throat, "so get used to it."

"Alrighty then," Charlotte said.

"Hello, _Eliza_," came a voice behind me. From the look of horror on Charlotte's face and the migraine inducing perfume I knew it was Caroline.

"Hey," I said and attempted to smile.

"It didn't take you long to claw him in," she said.

"What?" I asked, really confused.

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"If you're talking about Will, then I haven't 'clawed' him in," I air quoted.

"Don't play coy with me. We both know you've always wanted him," Caroline said with venom.

"Not that it's any of your business, _Caro_," I emphasised her name, "Will and I never were, nor will we ever be together. So don't even think about accusing him for things he would _never_ do. And you were the one that cheated, Caroline. You had a great guy but you chose to go to someone else. So don't try to make it out like he's the bad guy. All he did wrong was to start dating you in the first place," I said. I had not only surprised myself by openly defending Will, I had also left Charlotte and Caroline gaping. I pulled Charlotte to me and said, "Let's go."

We walked to the table and I practically threw myself into my seat.

"Are you alright?" Will asked. He sounded genuinely concerned.

"No," I said.

"What is it?"

"Your bitch of an ex-girlfriend," I fumed.

He looked angry. "What did she do?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter. What is that? Peanut butter and jelly? I love Peanut butter and jelly. Can I have a bite?" I rushed, desperate for a change of subject. Also, I love Peanut butter and jelly and he had one and I wanted it as mine.

"Ben, what did she say?" he said and slapped my hands away from his bread. I pouted.

"She accused you of infidelity," Charlotte spoke up. Will looked at her. I think he was surprised to hear her talk; I don't think she has ever spoken to him before. "And then Lizzy defended you and–"

"You defended me?" he turned to me. He looked pleasantly surprised. Perhaps even touched.

"Oh, um... hehehe, yeah," I laughed nervously.

He grinned and for a moment I thought he was going to sweep me off my feet, pull me into a bear hug or kiss me like there's no tomorrow. Thanks, again, brain for the image. Instead of all that he offered me a bite of his delicious looking sandwich. I almost laughed when he did but I was too excited to eat that yummy sandwich. It tasted as good as it looked. Apparently his Mom made it for him and has done so for years. I couldn't help but think I should have made peace with him a long time ago - using him to get food. Excellent.

Will walked with Jane and me home. This time, thankfully, they didn't talk about law. Instead we all talked about our day. Will told us about the Biology exam he had this morning. He's such a nerd so he found it quite easy. Jane talked about when Charlie came late for Spanish class and was _forced_ to sit next to her. Will and I rolled our eyes with wide smiles when she told us about Charlie's nervous giggles and how she thought they were 'adorable'. Then it was my turn to speak. First I told Jane about Mr. Collins's speech and Will joined in with what he had caught of it. Apparently Mr. Collins had mentioned a lot more than I had heard in his speech. When we were finished laughing over that I mentioned the new guy, George, to Will. He visibly tensed when I said his name.

"His last name isn't Wickham by some strange coincidence... is it?" he asked. He sounded hopeful for a negative answer.

"Um, yeah, I think it is," I said, looking down on the ground.

With that, Will stormed off. Jane and I were flabbergasted by his sudden exit but continued our walk home alone.

"Wonder what his problem is," I said.

"Maybe this George isn't good news," Jane said.

"Okay, just because Will 'the heartless bastard' Darcy doesn't like him, does not mean that George is a bad person," I said, angrier than I should have been. "Will doesn't like anybody, so this is nothing new."

"Calm down, Lizzy," Jane said gently. Just hearing her say that calmed me. "And what's with the name calling again? I thought you two were getting along."

"I thought so too but, apparently no," I replied. I sounded sad, even to my own ears.

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><p><strong>Review? Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeee?<strong>


	8. Fish

**This is, I think, the longest chapter I've posted. It could be full of crap, though. Consider yourself warned :P**

**And to "To boldly Go": sucks I can't reply to you in another way :/ anyways, thanks for pointing that out but when they're in the lunch room, it doesn't always mean they're eating lunch. I'm loosely basing the school on my own school and at my school (wow, that's a lot of "my school" :P) we use a lunchroom during every break we have. But it's my fault, I should have been more clear and named it something else... suggestions are welcome by all! :D**

**Disclaimer: I've said this often before but why not continue? I don't own these characters.**

Previously on Bittersweet: Elizabeth and Will seem to be getting along, until the author of the story (c'est moi!) decides to be a bitch and bring Wickham into the picture.

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><p><span>Chapter 8 – Fish<span>

WPOV

I couldn't believe that son of a bitch didn't have the decency to stay away. I knew he didn't have a decent bone in his body, but still! I had already warned him never to come near my family, and we even had a restraining order against him. Well, Georgie did. And she was safe in Italy now so that didn't matter.

Ugh! And he had gotten Ben under his spell now! Just when things were going alright, let's insert George 'the douche' Wickham into the picture.

I told my parents that he was back in town and they didn't respond much better than I did. We all agreed not to tell Georgie, although I really wanted to talk to her. I had promised her not to tell anyone about Wickham but I needed Ben to know. Mom and Dad said they'd talk to her parents and get them to tell the short story, the story that does not include my baby sister. But I needed to be the one to tell her. I needed her to trust me enough to believe me.

I walked to school that morning. I had no class with Ben so there was no way I could talk to her. She refused to even look at me after I had stormed off. Alright, I'll admit I didn't handle the situation very well... and I quite frankly blew her off. No wonder she's back to hating me, I'm a jerk!

The first thing I saw was Ben talking to Wickham by the Math room. My hands balled into fists and walked past them. I found Charlie with a sour look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I tried to talk to Jane but I got tongue tied and I ended up saying 'I love cake'," he said and shook his head. I choked down my laughter and patted him on the shoulder.

"Cheer up, mate. At least she knows something about you now... and that's a good thing."

He tried to give me a small smile – it only made him look like he was in severe pain.

The bell rang so I was forced to go to class and listen to Madame Debois talk about French grammar and all the _lovely_ grammar exceptions the French have. It's during classes like these that I want to go home and cry in my mother's arms.

Ahem, forget I ever said that.

After class I went straight to the lunch room in search for Ben. I saw Jane and Charlotte at their table but no Ben. I walked up to them anyways and asked them if they knew where she was.

"I haven't seen her since this morning," Jane said.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"I just _really_ need to talk to her," I replied, rather desperately.

"She _might_ be at the library," Charlotte said.

I felt like kissing her.

"Thank you," I said to her instead. Then I turned to Jane, "By the way, Charlie _does_ like cake but he likes you much more."

I left a laughing Charlotte and an astounded Jane and headed for the library. I hurried past all the sections and the reading areas quickly. I found Mrs. Piscue and asked her if she had seen Elizabeth Bennet.

"Who is that?"

"She's rather small, long curly brown hair... really, really loud and annoying at times?" I described.

"Oh, her. She's in the exam study room."

"Thank you."

I went to the all quiet exam study room. Strangely, I recognised the back of her head and walked up to her.

"Hey, Ben," I whispered.

She looked up and it was easy to see that she was pissed off as hell.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

I took a seat close to her.

"I need to talk to you."

She scoffed.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, surprised at her behaviour.

"What's wrong with _me?_ What the hell is wrong with you? One minute you're nice and conversational and the next you're storming off without a word!"

"Will the two of you shut up!" a girl in front of us hissed. "We're trying to study here."

"Sorry," Ben and I whispered without looking at the girl. I was too distracted, staring into those beautiful green eyes; Ben, however, was fuming.

She packed up her things and walked out. I followed her out of the library. When we were at her locker she turned around fast so I sort of slammed into her.

"Sorry," I said, holding onto her shoulders to keep her from falling. At least that's what I told myself.

She mumbled something that I don't think I should repeat. She then shrugged off my hands bitterly and I removed them from her shoulders. She put her books into her locker and then turned to leave.

"Wait, please," I said.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"Why are you acting like this? I thought we were getting along."

"I thought so too," she replied. I could tell she was really angry but she also seemed hurt.

"I'm sorry... it's just... _Wickham_," I muttered.

"What about him?"

I bit my lip and looked down to keep me from blurting out to her the entire truth.

"William," she said softly. The change in her tone and the fact that she had rarely called me by that name made me look up. The expression on her face was hard to read but at least she didn't look as angry. "Please tell me what's going on. I hate that you're hating him but, strangely enough, I also hate being angry at you."

"He's... he's just a really bad guy."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can't tell you... I'm sorry," I sighed.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you when I know nothing about this? About your part?" she asked through clenched teeth. Damn, she was angry again.

"Yes... that's pretty much what I was hoping for."

"I can't just take your word for it."

"Why can't you?" I snapped. "You've known him for, what, a week and yet you trust him more than you have ever trusted me."

"You never gave me a reason to trust you!" she replied bitterly.

"So you're saying you believe _him_ over me?" I asked, much calmer than I actually felt. I just didn't want to shout at her anymore.

"I never said that, and nor can I since I have no idea what it is you want me to believe!"

"He's just a douchebag that doesn't deserve you _or_ your time."

"I think I should be the judge of that," she said angrily and started walking away. I stepped in front of her. "What the hell is your problem, Will?" she snapped.

"_You_ are my problem!"

"Huh?"

"...I'm not sure what I meant by that..." I said, looking awkwardly away from her.

"Goodbye, William."

With that she left for the lunch room. This time I didn't try to stop her because I knew I would only mess things up. Again.

I also walked into the lunch room but sat down at my own table. Caroline had finally taken her herd to another table so it was just me and Charlie. His eyes kept wandering. I didn't need to look to know where they landed.

"Just ask the girl out already," I said and played with my food.

"I can't! I don't know how to talk to her," he replied. "Why can't I? I mean I'm a very desirable and good-looking man, right?"

I pulled my lips into a tight line to keep me from laughing.

"_Very_ desirable, yes and good-looking," I agreed.

"So what is it, then? Why can't I talk to girls... unless they've friend zoned me?"

"Some guys have it, some guys don't," I said.

"You have it," he said and leaned in. "What's your secret?"

"There's no 'secret', Charlie," I said. "Just ask the girl out and get it over with. The worst thing she can do is say no and if she does, you just move to the next girl. There are plenty of fish in the sea."

"But I don't want anyone else. _She's_ the only fish I want... she's the only fish I'll _ever_ want."

"Alright, then go get your fish... _girl_," I amended.

"I can't!"

"Yes you can! Just move your fins and whip her into your net."

"That was the worst metaphor I've ever heard!"

"Just go!"

"I will," he said and I sighed out of relief, "right after Spanish class today."

"You don't have Spanish today," I told him.

"That's a dirty shame, I was so looking forward to asking her out. Oh, well. Some fishes are never caught... you know, 'the ones that get away'."

Have you ever wanted to grab your friends around the shoulders and shake some sense into them? Well, I have. And that was one of those moments. Don't get me wrong, I love him, in a very non-homosexual type of way, he's my best friend after all. But sometimes he could be a total, well, idiot for a lack of a better word. Maybe I'd do better tomorrow in convincing him that it was time to step up, be a man and ask Jane Bennet out on a date.

I had quite frankly forgotten all about Wickham until he walked into the lunch room. He looked around for a moment, didn't see me though but I wasn't the one he was looking for. And then he found the one he _was_ looking for. He took long strides towards Ben's table. I didn't hear what he was saying but it must have been funny since Ben was laughing. She never laughed like that with me. Stupid, idiot, douchebag of a bastard.

When the bell rang I followed Ben out of the lunch room. She was walking next to Wickham all the way towards her locker. I probably looked like a total idiot when I hid myself behind my Biology book. He seemed to have offered to hold her books since she passed them to him. She took them back from him after she had closed her locker. She waved him goodbye and walked away. He leaned up against the lockers and grinned. I wanted nothing more than to push him up against those lockers and wipe that smile off his face. Instead I did nothing. I simply went into my next class and hoped for the best.

When I saw him kiss her cheek by the lockers after school, I simply snapped. I waited until she had left, then I cornered him by the lockers.

"You stay away from her," I warned.

"Why? Fancy a crack at her yourself?" Wick asked with the same arrogance as usual.

"I mean it, Wickham."

"All I did was be nice to her... it wouldn't kill you to do the same," he said. I felt like punching that smirk off his face.

"She's not going to want to be around you, Wick, not after I tell her about what you did."

"Why do you think she'll believe you, Darcy? From what I've heard she hates your guts."

I flinched a little when he mentioned the fact that she hated me. I had hoped that fact had changed.

"I'm willing to take that chance," I said.

"Why? You don't like her either, so why would you?" he asked. "Unless... are you harbouring a little crush there, Darcy?"

"Fuck you, Wickham," I said angrily.

"Ah, you are," he said and smiled. "Well I hate to break it to you, man, but she will never want you. How could she?" He asked. It took everything not to punch him. "How's your sister, by the way?"

That did it.

The next thing I knew he was on the floor and I was hovering over him. His nose was bleeding and my fist hurt.

"Stay away from her, Wick. I mean it," I warned yet again and walked away.

I didn't hear his reply but I'm pretty sure it included some well chosen curse words.

I took a little detour on my way home to clear my head. My fist was aching but I couldn't stop smiling proudly. I knew I would most likely get into trouble with someone for this, but it was well worth it. That bastard deserved every bad thing that would come his way.

I made a decision. I would talk to Georgie and beg her to release me from my promise.

The first thing I did when I came was to consult with my parents about speaking to Georgie. They didn't like it at first but when I told them the reason why I had to, they agreed immediately.

I sat on my bed with my laptop and turned it on. I checked Skype, but she wasn't logged on. She was, however, on MSN.

Me: Heyyy, Georgie! :D

GianaDarcy: hey bro! :D :D long time, no chat

Me: yeah, sorry. been busy

GianaDarcy: I understand

Me: what's with the name?

GianaDarcy: I thought I'd change it... Georgie is just too close to you-know-who

I nodded and then realised she couldn't see me. So, feeling like an idiot I replied,

Me: speaking of him... I need to ask you something.

GianaDarcy: uh, oh...

Me: yeah... Wick is back in town.

She didn't respond for a while. I hated myself and wanted to bang my head against the wall. I wondered what the hell I was doing and wanted to take it all back.

GianaDarcy: does this have anything to do with a certain neighbour of ours?

Me: unfortunately, yes.

GianaDarcy: WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR? Tell her!

Me: language! really?

GianaDarcy: of course! I don't want her, or anyone else for that matter, to get hurt by that douchebag.

I chuckled.

GianaDarcy: just leave the worst things out, will you?

Me: I won't tell her anything more than I need to, I promise

She didn't say anything for a while and I began to wonder if she was gone.

GianaDarcy: can we move onto more happier subjects?

Me: sure. how's school?

GianaDarcy: I said 'happier subjects'

I laughed.

Me: LOL, sorry. How's Italy?

GianaDarcy: it's great! :D the food is _bellissimo_ and the ice-cream is so fat it's fantastic!

Me: good, and the grandparents?

GianaDarcy:they're behaving themselves... at the moment at least

I chuckled.

Me: LOL

GianaDarcy: how's England?

Me: we all miss you but it's good.

GianaDarcy: I miss you too *hugs*

GianaDarcy: and Lizzy? I see she hasn't killed you, I was beginning to worry.

Me: why does everyone always think that? she's not _that_ violent.

GianaDarcy: I think it's _your_ lack of man-power.

Me: I'm beginning to miss you less.

GianaDarcy: I love you, big bro!

Me: whatevah!

GianaDarcy: LOL! such a teenage girl, you are

Me: speaking of teenage girls, Charlie backed out yet again.

GianaDarcy: ugh... that dude needs to man up! Give him some tips about how you won Caroline over... how is Caroline anyways?

Me: I'm sad (secretly happy) to say we broke up.

GianaDarcy: about bloody time!

Me: that's pretty much what mom and dad said... they just toned it down a notch

GianaDarcy: hahaha

GianaDarcy: gotta go, I have a show tonight so I need to get ready.

Me: good luck!

GianaDarcy: thanks, give Lizzy my best when she stops hating you

Me: *narrows eyes*... sure...

GianaDarcy: love ya! give mom and dad my love

Me: yeah, bye Georgie

She logged out. I saw that Charlie was also online but I didn't feel like talking to him tonight. Instead I logged off and shut the computer down.

I sighed. Tomorrow, hopefully, it would all be over. Ben would stop hanging around that tool and I wouldn't have to worry anymore. I knew that even though she'd believe me it wouldn't mean that we'd automatically become friends but I still hoped for the best. In all honesty seeing her safe was all I cared about. The rest could come later.

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><p><strong>I don't really know how I feel about this chapter. In my opinion, it's not really great. I've written this chapter a few times but I just can't seem to get it right. Please leave a review and tell me if you'd like me to replace this chapter with something else and I will. Don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything, just be honest :)<strong>


	9. Revealed

**My darling friend, and co-owner of this account pushed me into writing this chapter. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have posted this so soon. I'd also like to thank her for the help she gave me with choosing the right words and sentences, and also for reading it over for me since I'm always too lazy to do that on my own; correcting those awkward mistakes I made... eeeeggghhhh... I smuuuuuuuuuuuuuurf you!**

**And to my dearest, loveliest readers: thank you so much for hanging in there with me. I really appreciate you reading my story and reviewing. I hope I won't disappoint you in the future with too many bad chapters and I hope this isn't one of them.**

**This here is the longest chapter to date. I hope you enjoy!**

Previously on Bittersweet: Will tries (guffaw! Naaahhh...) to tell Lizzy the truth about George but she doesn't want to listen. Will also tries to get Charlie to man up and ask Jane out on a date but he's afraid of rejection (aren't we all?). He also punches George and gets the green light from his sister to tell Lizzy everything he knows about him.

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><p><span>Chapter 9 – Revealed<span>

EPOV

I was reading in my father's study when my phone started to vibrate. The caller ID indicated that it was George. A smile spread across my face before I answered.

"Hello," I said.

"_Hey, gorgeous,"_ he said. _"What are you doing?"_

"Just reading," I replied and put my book down. "And you?"

"_I just got home from the hospital, actually."_

"What?" I exclaimed into the phone. "What happened? Are you okay? Is it your mother?" The questions flooded from my mouth.

"_Relax, I'm fine. No, it wasn't Mom this time. I just ran into somebody and that somebody managed to break my nose."_

"What?" I yelled again.

"_Calm down, Lizzy."_

"How am I supposed to calm down? Who did this to you?"

"_I think you know who... the guy who has had it out for me ever since I got here."_

"Will?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"_You got it."_

"What? Why would he do something like this?"

"_I don't know,"_ he sighed. _"I think he's just jealous."_

"Why would he be jealous?" I asked confused.

"_Isn't it obvious?"_ he asked and I could hear the smile in his voice._ "I've got the girl."_

I made an embarrassing giggling sound at what he was suggesting.

"I hate to break it to you but _he_ doesn't want the girl," I said.

"_He doesn't know what he's missing, then."_

"I still can't believe he did something like that," I said thoughtfully. "It doesn't sound like him."

"_Shows what you know,"_ he said. _"I think I know him better than you do."_

"How _do_ you know him? He didn't tell me anything when I asked him, apart from keeping my distance."

There was a short silence before he spoke. _"You talk to him?"_

"Occasionally. I can't exactly ignore him when he follows me around."

"_Hm,"_ he said noncommittally.

"So? Are _you_ willing to tell me?"

"_It's a long story,"_ he replied with a sigh.

"I've got time."

"_Well, I don't. At least not tonight,"_ he said. I can't deny that I was disappointed. _"How about we meet sometime after school tomorrow and I _promise_ to tell you everything about how I, unfortunately, know Darcy."_

"Okay," I said with a wide smile.

"_Rose's Café around 5?"_

"Sure."

"_Great, it's a date."_

I hadn't stopped smiling but my smile grew much bigger. I was still smiling when we said our goodbyes, and as I fell asleep that night. I didn't even think about Will or his association with George. All I thought about was George and the fact that I had a date with him the following day.

...

I told Charlotte and Jane about my date the next morning. They gave each other looks but said nothing; they just nodded. I suppose they didn't exactly trust him yet but that was alright; there was time for that later.

When I walked into English class with Charlotte, I saw Will sit in the front row. He looked at me, almost invitingly but I ignored him; I was too angry at him for what he had done to George. I hurried to take a seat in the back of class and Charlotte followed me silently. I used the silence she gave me to fume over Will in my head. Charlotte being Charlotte couldn't be silent for long so she spoke up quietly as the teacher turned the computer on.

"What's with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said with a scowl. "I'm just... ugh... I don't know."

"Why aren't you speaking to Will? I thought you two were on good terms."

"Not anymore," I sighed. "Will broke George's nose and I'm just a little annoyed with him. I mean, he gives me the impression that he wants to be friends with me, and then he completely ignores me. _Then_ he tells me to stay away from George because, apparently he's "a bad guy"," I quoted. "I'm just a little sick of his double personality, you know?"

Charlotte nodded in reply. That was a sign that she did _not_ know what I was talking about.

"It doesn't matter, I'm through with him," I said. "I have a date after school with a great guy, in my opinion and I'm not going to let William Darcy ruin that for me."

Charlotte nodded again.

The teacher had commenced the class and I tried to pay attention but my eyes kept wandering over to where Will sat.

"But," Charlotte began pensively after some time had passed, "why would Will resort to violence? It doesn't sound like him at all. I know he can act strange sometimes, I've heard you mention that quite often but from what I know he's not all bad."

"And George is?" I asked, somewhat annoyed.

"I'm not saying that," she defended. "I'm just saying, hear Will out before you start taking sides."

"I would hear him out if he'd tell me something!" I hissed.

"Maybe he'd tell you something if you'd listen for once," she said through gritted teeth. "He used to be your friend and despite what you have done to one another you still care about each other. Don't try to deny it," she added when she saw I was getting ready to disagree. "Don't believe everything George feeds you just because you want to hate Will."

I was going to say something but I found that I couldn't. She was absolutely right. I had tried to ignore Will every time he tried to talk and I had refused to listen. Sure, he wasn't giving any explanations but I knew he wouldn't go around and beat someone up for no reason at all. I was just scared of what that reason was. It was easy to get on Will's bad side, I knew that from personal experience but I longed to know what George had done. Will was obviously not George's favourite person either, so I wondered what had happened between them and hoped I would find out later that day. George had, after all, promised to tell me about his history with Will.

After class I saw Will waiting for someone by the lockers. He looked at me once and I knew I was the one he was waiting for.

"Hope I'm making you proud," I said to Charlotte before I walked over to him.

"Exceedingly so," I heard her say.

I stopped right in front of Will and said nothing; if he wanted to talk, now was the chance.

"Hey," he said.

"I heard what you did," was all I said.

"To George? Yes, I'm sure he told you," he said wryly. "Look, I need to talk to you. Can you handle that?"

I didn't appreciate the sarcasm in his voice but then I remembered Charlotte's words.

"Sure," I shrugged. "When?"

"Um," he said and looked around, "after school perhaps. Five-ish?"

"I can't. I'm busy."

He released a deep breath out of his nose. "It's important."

"So is the thing I'm busy with."

"How about after?"

"Alright, I'll call you."

He nodded silently and walked towards the lunch room. I walked slowly behind him. We went to our respective tables and sat down. Charlotte was reading and Jane was looking at her timetable.

"How did it go?" Charlotte asked and looked up from her book.

"He has something important to tell me... suppose that means he's _actually_ going to talk to me."

"You see? Things can happen if you're willing to let them."

I made a noncommittal sound.

I saw Jane's eyes wander to the other end of the room a few times. Her eyes met with Charlie's. Every time they did so, they would blush and look down.

"Jane?" I waited until she looked at me, "Is there something you haven't told me?"

"What?" Jane pretended to be oblivious but the red colour in her face gave her away.

"What's with you and Charlie?"

"Oh, um... well, he asked me out," she said.

"Really?" Charlotte and I asked, both thrilled.

"Yeah... we're meeting tonight," she said.

"Congratulations, sis," I said at the same time Charlotte said, "He finally grew some balls."

I chuckled while Jane's blush became even redder.

"Where is he taking you?" I asked, attempting to make her less embarrassed even though it was quite entertaining to watch.

"We're going to some restaurant down town, I don't remember what it's called and then to the movies."

"Wow, a dinner and a movie... how very _ordinary_," Charlotte commented.

Yes, it was odd that Charlie Bingley would pick something so simple and normal. He was _not_ the type. He was known for his strange tastes in things so we all thought; why would his dates be any different?

Charlotte and I pondered the subject but Jane simply gazed at Charlie with a lovesick smile.

I hurried home after school, combed through my hair, thought about putting some make-up on but decided against it. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Dad called after me not to be late for dinner.

"Are you cooking?" I called back.

"Yes," he replied.

"Then you can count me out," I teased and closed the door, but not before I heard him chuckle.

The distance from my house to Rose's Café was not long. I got there shortly after the clock struck five and saw George sitting at a booth. He waved me over with a dazzling smile. At that moment, I completely forgot about Will and second chances and all the blah-blah Charlotte gave me.

"Hey Liz," he said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. My knees almost gave in.

"Hey. You haven't been waiting long have you?"

"No, but I did have the time to order coffee for me and tea for the lady," he winked.

"Great, thanks," I said as I took my seat in front of him.

The waitress brought our drinks to us and we immediately started to talk. First we talked about school and we shared some laughs over Mr. Horton's horrible attempt today at a joke. Then, somehow, the subject moved to Will.

"You should stay away from him," he said.

Now I was confused. "Why?"

"He's bad news," he said simply.

"Is this the part where you tell me your history with him?"

"Yup," he said and flashed a smile. "You see, it all began last summer. Will and I worked together at his father's law firm and we were good friends... at least I thought so, until he decided he didn't want to be seen around with _someone like me_ – whatever that means. I left him alone, but that wasn't enough for him." He paused for a moment before continuing. "He spoke to his father and got me fired... but, again, that wasn't enough. Now, I can't get hired at any place because of _him_. My family and I don't have much money and, as you know, my mother is very ill and I had hoped to bring in a little money but I can't. All because of the _mighty_ Will Darcy," he finished with a scowl and a roll of his eyes.

"Wow..." I managed to croak after his speech. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It doesn't matter anymore. He will pay one day," he said with a smile.

His smile could not make me at ease. Even though we moved to other subjects, my mind kept going back to what he had just told me. I had known Will my entire life and he had done some bad things but never something so cruel. It amazed me that I didn't believe the worst in him. And about George Darcy getting him fired and stopping him from getting work anywhere else, it was just too unbelievable. George Darcy was one of the nicest people I had ever met.

But still, why would George lie to me?

We talked (by "we" I mean "he") until closing time. He reached in his pocket, presumably for his wallet.

"Damn, I forgot my wallet," he said after checking his pockets.

"That's alright, I'll pay," I said.

"Thanks, I promise to get the next one," he said with a dazzling smile.

"Alright," I said with a small smile of my own.

"I would offer to walk you home, but I really need to get going."

"That's fine, I'll see you later."

He kissed my cheek goodbye but it didn't affect me the way it had before. I waved him goodbye in front of the Café as he walked away.

"_This_ is what you were doing?" a deep, angry voice asked beside me.

I put the hand I was waving with down and turned to face Will.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just walking by until I saw you with _him_," he said, disgusted.

"What is it you have against him? I've heard his story, and I'd like to hear yours."

"It's not a story, it's the truth. Something he will never give you."

"So you're saying you did _not_ beat him up yesterday?" I asked calmly.

"He deserved it."

"I don't hear you denying it."

"Why should I? I'm damn proud of it."

"Mhm," I nodded. "And I suppose you had nothing to do with the fact that he was fired from his job at your father's firm and that he can't get jobs anywhere."

He huffed; he couldn't deny any of the things George had told me about their past.

"There's more to it than just that," he said.

"Alright, tell me," I said.

"I will... when we get home," he said, looking around.

I reached to smack the back of his head lightly.

"Ow!" he exclaimed and massaged the spot where I had hit him.

"Tell me!"

"You didn't have to do that!"

"Now, Fitzwilliam!"

"No," he said stubbornly.

I think the only reason he denied to tell me was because I had hit him. Childish, I know. I could tell he was dying to tell me something and I was a bit scared to know what it was. I hadn't known George for a long time and I had been warned not to trust him.

"You're such a stubborn, proud dickhead!"

"_I'm_ stubborn? Says the one who refuses to talk to me for no reason at all!"

"I _do_ have a reason," I stated.

"Oh, really?" he mocked. "What is it?"

Damn.

"I don't like you," I said after a few moments of hesitation.

"Well, you know what? That doesn't matter. All I care about is that you learn the truth. You don't have to like me but please just listen to me."

"So talk!"

"I'm not going to talk when we have an audience!" he said and pointed somewhere.

I looked around us. It was true; we had collected a crowd. A quiet, embarrassed giggle escaped my lips. I grabbed Will by his shirt and dragged him away from the people. He tugged at my fingers and I released my hold on him. We walked home in silence, occasionally huffing in annoyance. I silently lead him into my house and into my room. There, I sat down on my bed while he paced around the room. He combed his fingers through his brown curls; a clear sign of nervousness.

"Will?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me. At first he seemed like he was just going to stare until he finally spoke.

"Sorry... I'm just... it doesn't matter..." he mumbled and waved his hand.

"Your nervousness is making me nervous," I said. "Will you sit down?"

He sat down in my desk chair and looked at the floor for a while. I was actually starting to think there was something interesting on it so I started to look at it too. There was nothing out of the ordinary and I shook my head at my silliness. Will, however, still found it worth watching.

"I know you have no _real_ reason to believe what I'm about to tell you but," He looked up, "you've known me all your life; do you honestly think I would ever lie to you? I know I haven't always treated you well but you haven't exactly been a ray of sunshine either." I saw him smile a little and I felt a small smile of my own tug at my lips. Then his smile turned into a frown and he took a deep breath. "I met George at my father's firm last year and we became friends," he began. This seemed really familiar. "To make a long story short; he fooled my sister into giving him money, saying his mother was sick. She had only meant to do it once but she gave in every time he asked. He could easily... _charm_ her and make her feel guilty for not giving in to him. I found out that she was running out of money and I alerted my father, as well as the police." He paused here and took another deep breath. "He got really angry at her... yelling and throwing things around..." he wandered off. I could tell it was hard for him to go on so to urge him I slid my hand over his. "He beat her up... she was unconscious when I came in."

"Oh, my God," my voice was but a whisper.

"I threw a few punches at him and I was charged with assault but the charges were dropped. He was sent to juvie... until recently."

My hand was still on his and I felt him rub the back of my hand.

"He wasn't supposed to get out so soon," he continued quietly, "so we... my family and I decided to take the matter in our own hands."

"So you got him fired from his job and made him unemployable?" I said it more like a statement than a question. He nodded in reply. "And Georgie, is she okay?"

"She's in Italy, as you know. She's doing much better there," he said and allowed a smile.

I smiled a little back. "That's good."

We were silent for a while. What could I say after a speech like that?

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. He looked up at me and I found myself staring into those soulful brown eyes. Never before had I noticed them so well.

"You don't have to apologise," he said.

"I feel like I need to, though."

"Then let me apologise too. For everything," he said. "I should have told you everything from the beginning."

"Yes, you should have," I said with a wry smile. When he looked down sadly I squeezed his hand to get his attention. It worked; he looked straight at me again. "I was just trying to lighten up the mood, sorry."

He chuckled.

Suddenly, Kitty burst into the room. We both became very aware of the fact that we were sitting rather close and still holding hands. I drew my hands to myself and he moved himself away. Kitty remained in the doorway with a knowing smile.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" This question was directed at Will.

"English project," I supplied quickly. "Due tomorrow."

"Right," Kitty said unconvinced. "Dad wants to speak to you."

"Tell him I'll be right there," I replied.

Kitty turned around to leave but not without flashing a smug smile at us.

"I'd better go now," he said and stood up.

"Do you want to use the front door?"

"Will your father kill me?" he asked, only half-joking.

I chuckled.

"I doubt it. It was him that kept me from doing so all these years."

"That makes me feel _so _much better," he said sarcastically.

I walked with him to the front door. After he had put his shoes on we stood there awkwardly for a short while. I decided now was the perfect time to offer an olive branch.

I held out my hand and offered, "Truce?"

He shook it and asked, "How about friends?"

_Friends?_

"I'd like that," I replied with a smile.

...

I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night. That beautiful, peaceful and Willfull sleep did not last as long as I had hoped. I was brutally awakened by my twin sister's giggles. She had come into my room and was giggling like a little girl.

"What is it?" I asked and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Charlie," she said, as if that explained anything to me. "He's so nice, he's _perfect,_"

"You couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell me that?" I asked, a bit annoyed.

She ignored me, though.

"He took me to the movies and then to some amazing French restaurant. Oh, Lizzy! The food was to die for but the company was even better!" she fawned.

I rolled my eyes, groaning and threw my head back into my pillow. She continued to talk about her date, and usually I would listen. But usually I was not half-asleep when someone tried to have a conversation with me. So, instead of falling asleep to thoughts about a certain new friend of mine, I fell asleep to the sound of Jane talking about how wonderful and great Charlie was.

FML.

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><p><strong>I'm sitting here with a 0,5 liter beer glass filled with water, strumming my fingers and waiting for <em> your<em> review. Yeah, you know who you are! :P I want_ all _of you! Much love, hearts, kisses, hugs and all that :)**


	10. Close

***titters* Over a hundred reviews! *dances in a circle around self* I LOVE YOU! I'm not kidding, I think I might actually _love_ you! **

**Alright, this chapter... ugh, what should I say about this chapter... I've written it at least twice now so this better be good enough! :P The first time I wrote it, it was quite boring but I hope this version is a little better. If not, tell me. _Please_. I need all the help I can get, and I'm doing this for _you_ as well as for myself so your opinion _does_ matter :)**

Previously on Bittersweet: Charlie has finally grown the balls to ask Jane out. Their date went well, suppose Charlie got over his shyness for a while... Wickham tells Lizzy about his relationship with Will but she finds it hard to believe it. Then, Will finally tells the truth about Wickham and how he abused his little sister. Lizzy and Will agree to be friends (Yay!).

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><p><span>Chapter 10 – Close<span>

WPOV

I woke up that Saturday morning to a strange sound coming from the street. I opened up my window, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked outside. There, in the middle of the street, were two people fighting. Well, not really though – the girl was shouting and the guy just stood there, taking it all. I realised I recognised both of them. At first I started boiling with anger; it felt a bit like betrayal that she was even speaking to him. My hands gripped the windowpane as my face flushed with anger. Then it happened: she delivered one impressive punch to his face before kneeing him in the groin. Now, instead of anger, I felt a sense of pride.

She walked back to the direction of the house, only turning back when Wickham called something unforgivable after her. I was sure she was giving him the same death look she had so often given me. If it hadn't been for the fact that I hated the guy, I would have felt sorry for him. She then turned around again and disappeared into the house. Wick, however, dragged himself to his feet and walked away.

Nothing was heard from Wickham after that incident, not that it came as a surprise to either me or Ben. It was, however, close to the end of the semester so others might have thought it was a bit strange.

Being close to the end of the semester, it meant the final exams were slowly coming up. I dreaded them but I looked forward to summer. So, they were just a _small_ obstacle before the wondrous summer to come. I had a job at my father's law firm, again and I got to do what I enjoyed most. Well, one of the things I enjoyed the most.

Also, since it was May, my eighteenth birthday was coming up. I was a little nervous about becoming an adult but really, how much would change? I would still go to school, I would still live with my parents and I would still call them 'Mom' and 'Dad'. Yeah, I was going to start paying taxes but that was about it.

I thought about what I might do for my birthday this year. Becoming an adult was something big but I never cared much for partying or being around too many people. Maybe a quiet dinner with the parents or watching a movie and eating pizza with a couple of friends. The latter was much more appealing.

"Do you guys want to come over to my house on Friday?" I asked the gang the following Monday.

"After the disastrous party at my house I don't think I'm ever going to another party," was Charlie's reply.

"It's not going to be a party," I said. "We'll just watch a movie or something and eat pizza."

"That _does_ sound appealing," Ben said thoughtfully. "I'm in."

"Great," I said with a grin. Then I looked over at Jane and Charlotte.

"We're invited too?" Charlotte asked, referring to the two of them.

"Of course you are."

"Oh..." Jane said, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Alright, that sounds good."

"Sure," Charlotte said and smiled.

"Great. I was thinking about inviting my cousin, Richard. You don't mind, do you?"

"Why would we mind?" Ben asked.

"It can be a little awkward when you don't know everyone invited. It's like you're not free to be yourself."

"Lizzy never has a problem with 'being herself'," Charlotte said, earning a look from her friend.

"It sounds great. I love meeting new people," Jane smiled sweetly. I didn't need to turn to Charlie to see that he was lost in that smile of hers.

I called Richie later that day to invite him.

"_Will there be hot chicks?"_ was his first question.

"...There will be three good-looking girls, yes."

"_Count me in, then!"_ he said. _"But don't expect a present, I never know what to get you; I don't know where to shop for stuck-up arses."_

"Ha ha, very funny," I said sarcastically. "You don't have to get me a present. You'll never be able to top the present you gave me when we were thirteen, anyway."

"_The lacy thong?"_ he asked. I could hear him grinning. _"Have you used it?"_

"Oh, yeah. Use it all the time. In fact, I'm wearing it right now."

"_You sexy bastard."_

...

The school-week was over. It had been harder than I had expected. It seems as if the teachers use everything in their power to torture their students before school is completely out. The give you a mediocre amount over the semester and then dump everything on us during the last few days. I suppose I should have been use to it but this isn't something you can prepare yourself for. I almost wanted to call my birthday party off because I was so exhausted but a little fun was something we all needed before our finals would begin.

Ben and Jane arrived first, followed by Charlie and then Charlotte. We had to wait a while before Richie came.

"I'm starving," Ben said while we waited. We were currently watching a documentary about birds in the city.

"Me too," said Charlotte. "When will your cousin get here?"

"I don't know," I said. "He said he'd be here at eight." It was now nearing nine.

"Can't we just start without him?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, at least order the pizza now so it will be ready when he comes," Ben said.

I ended up doing just that and we started watching _The King's Speech_, chosen by Ben.

"Colin Firth is the hottest man alive," Ben commented when we were about ten minutes into the movie.

"But he's so old," Charlotte said.

"Doesn't matter, he's sexy," Ben said. Then she turned to me and said quietly, "You kind of look like him, Will."

Surprised would not begin to describe how I felt at that moment. Ecstatic is more like. I gave her a brilliant smile and she smiled coyly.

The pizza arrived and Richie came shortly after. We had all begun to eat when he finally knocked.

"I'll get it," I said and left the living room. I opened the door to reveal my best friend/cousin. "Hey, Richie."

He shook my hand. "Happy birthday, bro."

I lead him to the group. I introduced him to them all; his eyes remained longer on Ben than I would have liked. He stole my seat and sat immediately down next to her, pulling her into a conversation.

"So, Ben is it?" he asked.

"Actually, it's Lizzy. Only Will calls me that," Ben said after swallowing her bite of pizza.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lizzy. I'm Richard, as he said before," he said. Then he gave her his infamous smile and I knew she was lost. She blushed becomingly and looked down at her food.

Damn that Richard.

I sulked as we watched the movie. Richard spent most of the time talking to Ben and, as hard as this was for me to admit, I was feeling a bit jealous. Charlotte was the only one that watched the movie, since Charlie was busy trying to talk to Jane. He was getting better at it; he only got tongue-tied a few times. Jane nodded her head and smiled but I wasn't sure whether or not she was actually listening to him. She used to be interested in him and a little shy around him too but after their date, I wasn't so sure. She might have liked the attention but gotten bored with him, or something.

"So, would you like to hang out sometime?" It was Richard's voice that interrupted my thoughts.

"Sure," was Ben's reply.

Then they exchanged phone numbers.

I may love my cousin in a way but at that moment I wanted nothing more than to strangle him.

The credits rolled and I reached for my empty glass.

"I'm going for a refill, anyone want me to get something?"

"Can you bring the soda?" Charlie asked.

"And maybe some chips, too," Richie said without looking up.

"And dip," Charlotte added.

I sighed and walked towards the kitchen. I poured some soda into my glass. I heard someone behind me picking up the bags of chips. It was Ben.

"Can't make the birthday boy do all the work," she explained.

"Thanks," I smiled and she smiled warmly back.

She put some chips into a bowl and I got the dip from the refrigerator. She was heading back towards the living room when I spoke up.

"Ben?"

She took a step back and turned to face me. "Yeah?"

I had no idea what I was going to say in the first place so I just stared at her awkwardly without saying a word.

"Nothing," I finally mumbled.

"Is something wrong?" she asked and put the things down.

"I'm fine."

She didn't look convinced.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Yes... no."

"You know you can talk to me. We're friends, right? And friends share stuff. I mean, I don't want us to become some teenage soap opera but a few feeling related conversations are allowed."

I chuckled.

"It's just... Richie," I said quietly.

"What about him?"

"He's... I don't know. He has a 'reputation' of sorts... I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Dude," she grabbed me by the shoulders, "I just met him tonight. You can relax."

I released the breath I was holding, secretly loving the way she touched me, and gave her a small smile.

She picked up the things she had put down and we walked together into the living room. Richie was now talking up Charlotte, who was blushing at every word. I looked at Ben to see if she felt jealousy but instead I caught her smirking.

"He's quite the charmer," she said quietly.

The rest of the evening was spent in pleasant conversation. Richie pulled Ben in the conversation he was having with Charlotte and Charlie stared at the wall while I talked to Jane. I didn't have the guts to ask her directly if she still liked Charlie so I just talked to her about the upcoming finals. I thought I might get the details about her and Charlie from Ben later.

Richard was the last to leave. He helped me clean up afterwards, and by 'help' I mean he stood in the corner talking while I did the cleaning.

"Charlotte's pretty hot," he said. "A little dull, though."

"She's not dull, she's just shy, I suppose. She's kind of funny when you get to know her."

Richard waved my comment off. "Lizzy is cute too, and _very_ funny. She told me some interesting stories about the two of you."

"She talked about me?" I asked, surprised, ignoring the 'cute' comment.

He nodded. "From what I heard, I can't believe the two of you are actually friends."

"I've told you about her before," I pointed out.

Something seemed to dawn on him. "She's Bennie? The girl that stole your Pokémon collection? The one that beat you in WoW? The girl who you swore to hate but I could tell you admired?" He didn't wait for my replies.

"Yup, that's her."

"Wow... she sounds cool. A nerd, but cool."

"Yeah, she's pretty great," I said. He looked at me, trying to tell me something but it just wasn't getting through. "What?"

"Mind if I... _you know_."

I didn't like what he was suggesting by raising his eyebrows.

"Richie, I know your story and I don't like it. Please just stay away from her."

"Aw, little Willy's got a crush," he teased.

"Shut up, Richie!"

...

Now that my birthday was over and the last day of school was starting, I could finally focus on my final exams.

I had English with Ben and Charlotte before lunch. The teacher gave up teaching because everyone was too excited to go home so we were all free to talk. It was hard to miss Caroline's voice talking loudly to her posse about the summer trend and bikini diets. I mostly kept quiet and read a little for my first final but Charlotte and Ben were busy talking about Howie Dean. The guy in question was sitting a few seats away from us. I looked up when that discussion began but I wished I had stopped listening. My ears had a mind of their own.

"His shirt is a bit see-through," Ben commented. I would have groaned if I knew no one would have heard me.

"Yeah, you can see his muscles flexing underneath it," Charlotte said.

"He's really becoming buff."

"Mhm." Charlotte was practically drooling.

"It's a shame, he used to have such a nice body but now he's gone and ruined it by working too much out."

"What are you talking about? He's hot."

"Too big muscles aren't that attractive," Ben stated. "When I hug a guy I want him to be soft and cuddly, not rock hard and intimidating."

"Lizzy likes fat guys," Charlotte teased in a sing-song voice.

I wanted to go outside to the large tree I had been staring at during the entire exchange and bang my head against it until it would fall down from its roots.

After class, I removed myself from their company and tried to find Charlie. I found him at the library behind some stacks of books. His already big eyes were bulging out of his head and he had bitten most of his nails off. In short: he was nervous.

"Hey," I greeted. He barely looked up before burying his nose back into one of the books. "You alright?" I asked. He laughed a short hysterical laughter and mumbled something. I put my hand on his shoulder as a comforting touch but it didn't seem to work. "You know you're going to do well on your exams, don't worry so much."

"If I don't get into medical school I will never forgive myself," he said.

"You're just eighteen, dude. Relax."

"Says the one who has his first internship at the age of fifteen."

"Charles, how many times do I have to tell you? It's not an internship, alright? I'm usually just an assistant to actual lawyers."

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," he waved his hand.

I chuckled at him.

"Alright, you won't do something drastic if I were to leave?" I asked.

"What? Like slid my throat with these books? Believe me, I've tried, it doesn't work."

I slapped his shoulder once in a friendly manner before leaving. I went to the lunchroom and sat down with Ben and Charlotte. They were now talking about their upcoming exams so I thought it was safe for me to listen.

"I'm never going to pass Science; I don't understand anything," Ben said.

"Stop it, you've never failed a course before," Charlotte said.

"There's a first time for everything," Ben muttered.

I ended up offering to help, despite not being very good at Science myself. She gladly accepted.

When we walked home that day, I offered to start immediately since our first exam was Science.

"Right now?" she asked, eyebrows raised. I shrugged and nodded. "Do you have food?"

"Yup. I even have peanut butter and jelly, if that's of any interest."

"I'm there!"

We walked into my empty house and went straight into the kitchen. I prepared two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which we ate at the kitchen table. At first we were silent until Ben started making faces.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"The silence is overbearing."

"So you're showing me your half-digested food?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Yup."

I averted my attention to my own sandwich to hide my smile. She was just too adorable sometimes. Kind of gross but in a cute way.

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><p><strong>I know I've asked this quite often already but, um, review?<strong>


	11. Finals

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. It took me longer to write than most of the others. It's also a bit longer than the usual ones :D I hope you can find something to enjoy about it!**

** I've already said that... oh, well. Maybe you'll enjoy it twice as much! *love***

**Previously on Bittersweet: It's Will's birthday. We meet Richard/Richie, Will's cousin and perhaps a love-interest of one of the girls. Who knows? The author (me, again) decides to add some unimportant grossness into the final part and thus we enter this next chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Finals<strong>  
>EPOV<p>

It had happened; the finals were upon us!

I had already completed one exam: English. It was rather easy, I _had_ of course, studied well for it and I was prepared unlike another person who shall remain nameless (*cough* Will *cough*).

However, the rest of the exams seemed like torture. I had studied for three days already for my Science exam and I was bored out of my mind. I didn't know the subject well enough, though. At least not in my opinion but I was becoming rather restless. Jane and Charlotte were worrying about their own exams so speaking to them didn't help, Kitty ignored anyone that didn't have food in their hands, Mom was working and Dad was at his school making exams and going over them. So I had absolutely nothing to do.

"I thought about calling Will, mainly to bug him but also to have some company. Then I realised two things: 1) he was also studying for Science, and 2) I didn't have his phone number.

I picked up my phone and called a new acquaintance of mine.

"Hello," a male voice answered.

"Hi, Richie. It's Lizzy," I greeted, "... from Will's birthday party,"

"Hey," he said. I could hear he was smiling. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"To Science... I'm studying and I'm really bored."

"Want to hang out?"

I smiled. "I'd love to... unless you need to study," I said uncertainly.

"Nope, my finals don't start until next week."

"Lucky bastard," I muttered, making him chuckle.

"You live next door to Will, right?"

"Yup."

"How about I come over and then we can go and see a movie?" he suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Great," he said. "Give me 30 minutes."

"Alright, see you later."

He said his goodbyes and we hung up. I found myself smiling for no apparent reason.

He came, as promised, a half-hour later. He drove us to the town's old movie theatre. There was only one movie playing, a movie neither one of us wanted to see, so we decided to go somewhere else. I suggested we'd go to the nearby coffee house and decide there what we wanted to do. He agreed. The coffee place was filled with students with computers, notebooks and steaming coffee mugs. We took our seats in one of the booths and ordered. He went with coffee but I simply had orange juice. Richie joked about my choice in drink but I simply stated that I didn't drink coffee.

"Why not? Too many extra calories?" he asked in a mocking voice.

"I chuckled at his ridiculousness. "No, it's either too bitter or too sweet for my taste."

"That's only because you haven't had a _real _coffee experience."

"I'm afraid to ask what that entails," I said, amused.

He just winked at me, making me laugh.

We had some meaningless, but enjoyable, chatter as we sipped our drinks. We talked about school and our exams until we both decided to forget them for a while and enjoy this little free time we had. He could easily make me laugh and loudly, much to the chagrin of the students nearby. We started talking about Charlotte and I teased him about setting the two of them up. He didn't seem to be against the idea and he agreed.

"You do realise I was joking, right?" I said with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better."

I ended up telling him a few things about Charlotte and he seemed quite interested. He asked me to give him her phone number but I couldn't bring myself to do it; Charlotte would kill me.

"Well, at least that gives me a reason to see her again," he said with a crooked smile.

I'm not sure how or why but our discussion evolved into talking about Will.

"So you two grew up together, right?" he asked and sipped his coffee.

"Yeah," I replied. "But it wasn't until recently that we became friends. We had a, um, a feud of sorts."

"Yeah, I know," Richard said. "He told me many _fascinating_ stories about you two when you were growing up."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. He nodded in reply. I attempted for a light tone when I said, "I didn't know he spent much time talking about me."

"Oh, he did... _does_, actually. I often got to hear him complain about you."

"Oh," I said, a little deflated. I had held on to a small hope that Will would have something nice to say about me.

"He also mentioned your eyes quite often."

"My eyes?" I asked, befuddled.

He nodded with a grin. "Apparently that was the thing he hated about you the most, the fact that you have pretty eyes."

"He said I have pretty eyes?" I asked, hoping my voice didn't reveal how I felt at that moment.

"Yes. He also said something along the lines of linking 'the way her eyes light up when she's angry'. Not sure what he meant by that but whatever. It's hardly my business what my cousin likes in a girl."

I was completely bewildered by his statements. Will talked about me? Will had liked my eyes? Will had liked _me_? The world could be too confusing at times.  
>We paid for our drinks. He had at first insisted on paying but I suppose I was too much of a feminist, or whatever you want to call it, to let him. We walked to my house together, talking occasionally about small and irrelevant things. I turned to him when we were on the front porch.<p>

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, opening the door.

"No, thanks. I've got to get home. I think I should start studying... it won't hurt, at least."

"Well, thanks for a great day; I needed it."

"No problem. Don't hesitate to call me again to chat," he said with a friendly smile. Then he surprised me by leaning down and giving me a light kiss on the cheek. "I look forward to seeing you again."

With that, he left. I simply stood there, stunned by that action. Instead of the butterflies I had expected to flutter in my stomach, I felt guilt. I couldn't comprehend why but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something incredibly wrong by calling him in the first place.

...

I groaned when the bell rang. The Science final was over and I hadn't finished my quiz. I added a few answers while the teachers collected the exams. One teacher stood in front of my table, tapping his foot and giving me a look. I smiled apologetically and handed him my exam.

I met up with Will in the lunchroom afterwards. He had a huge smile on his face when he waved me over, but that smile faded when he noticed the expression on my face.

"Bad?" he asked as we sat down at our usual table.

"Horrible!" I replied with a pout. "I don't get it. I studied really hard. I read the book I don't know how many times. I studied for it almost every day after my English final, apart from when I went to see Richie at the coffee shop and I–"

"You went to see Richie?" he interrupted. He sounded betrayed. The tone of his voice only encouraged the guilt I had been battling with ever since I went to meet Richard.

"Yeah..." I answered quietly, avoiding his piercing gaze. For some reason I felt like I needed to explain myself."I just wanted to get a break from studying."

"Right," he said, "right."

I felt like beating myself up for the betrayal I heard in his voice.

We walked home together in silence. I kept feeling like I should say something but I had no idea what to say, or even _why_ I wanted to reassure him.

We parted to our respective homes without a goodbye. I had tried to say something but he stalked off before I had the chance. I felt horrible, although I had no reason to feel so. It was not as if we were together or anything even close to that. The mere thought of us being something other than friends made me blush exceedingly.

I headed straight towards Jane's room. This was one of those rare moments in my life that I needed some girl-talk. Jane sat on her bed, staring straight ahead. Her face was emotionless, something I had never seen on her. It was usually me that walked around without an expression, she was always the smiley one.

"Are you okay?" I asked and kneeled in front of her. That was when I first noticed the tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Don't even try, sis, I know you too well. Tell me what's wrong." I moved a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm just... I don't know." She sighed. "Maybe I'm going crazy."

"Tell me," I urged her.

"It's... Charlie," she said. "I have this feeling that he doesn't like me anymore."

"How on earth can you think that?" I asked, muddled.

"He has been acting kind of distant, he never called me after our date, and at Will's birthday he could hardly look into my eyes when we were talking. It's like the sight of me scares him!"

"Jane," I began, taking her hands in mine. "That boy is absolutely smitten with you! You _are _crazy if you say you can't see it. Everyone around the two of you can.

He's so nervous around you so it's no wonder he can't look into those pretty eyes of yours. Will has told me numerous times about how much Charlie talks and thinks about you. Get it through your head; he likes you. He always has. Ever since kindergarten. Don't you remember when we were all playing together and you fell out of the tree house and he got so incredibly scared for you and started shouting for help?"

"He talks about me?" was her reply.

"Seriously? Out of all that, that's all you got?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. I received no reply, she only smiled. "Yes! He's head over heels in love, or lust, whichever you prefer, with you!"

"Lizzy," she admonished, still wearing a smile. "You're so silly."

I sat down next to her on her bed and took her hands in mine. She was blushing now and biting her lower lip. Her unshed tears were gone from her eyes, thankfully. Seeing my darling twin sad was the worst feeling in the world. Seeing Will sad was almost as depressing.

"Are _you_ alright?" she asked me after a while of thoughtful silence.

"Yes, what? I'm fine," I said and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"If you won't tell me we'll go through the same thing we just did, except the roles are reversed."

I chuckled quietly.

I gathered the courage to tell her everything. I told her about the so called 'date' with Richie and his innocent kiss, Will's reaction and my incredible guilt. She looked pensive for a moment before speaking up. She told me not to 'lead them on', whatever that means, and be 'honest with my feelings'. This was _exactly_ the reason why I hated this girl-talk crap. When Jane started talking like this I was shaking my head and face-palming myself inside. On the outside I simply nodded my head.

"You're not listening," she said accusingly.

"I _am_" I defended. "It's all very... interesting."

She kicked me out of her room a little while later. And by kicking I mean easing me out the door with her Jane-heartedness, saying she had to study. I had to do the same so I didn't argue.

When I walked into my room I saw a figure lurking in the shadows but I was too frightened to scream.

"Sorry," his deep voice said. "I didn't mean to scare you. Oh, shit... sorry." He scratched the back of his head while I tried to calm myself down. Seeing him pace the floor wasn't helping.

"What are you doing here, Will?" I asked. He thankfully stopped pacing to look at me.

"I just wanted to apologise for leaving like that today. I have no right... I have no right to meddle with your life. What you do is your business and it shouldn't affect me. If you want to be with my cousin, then that's fine. He's a nice guy and you deserve the best."

"Wait, what?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice and on my face. He simply stared at me back, giving me a chance to speak. "I don't _like_ Richie, I mean he's nice but he's not exactly my type."

"You have a type?"

I ignored him. "There may have been a moment or two where I felt he was _really_ nice but nothing compared to... to others," I finished awkwardly.

"So you're not with him?" He sounded almost hopeful.

I was going to snort and come up with a long retort but I let a simple "No," suffice. I thought I saw his face flicker with some sort of joy until he composed himself and nodded silently. I started nodding my head too and so there we were; nodding our heads until we agreed we had better things to do. With a few puffs, he climbed back into his room. It was quite entertaining to watch but his less than amused gaze made my laughter stop.

...

The rest of my finals went by fairly quickly. It didn't matter that I had probably mixed Stalin up with Lenin, or that I might have left 'blahblahblah' somewhere in my final essay in English. All that mattered was that today was my last final that semester. I could finally start my summer vacation, shortly followed by my awesome summer job at the local book store.

I spoke to Jane and Will shortly before we walked into the large room where we would take our Math exam. Charlotte and Charlie had been lucky enough to have finished their exams a day early. Not that I was jealous or anything. Nope.

I walked into the room with my head held high, confident that I had learned everything well enough to pass. I sat down behind my sister and close to my friend. It was announced that we could start our exams and I quickly started working.

"What the hell does that sign mean?" was the question that popped into my head a few times during that final. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Will's horrified expression. Or maybe he was just concentrating really hard. No, he was starting to bite his nails. It was a telltale sign. He turned his head towards me, silently asking, "What the hell?" I gave him an expression in return that meant: "I have no idea."

Apart from the few times I doubted myself, and the times I wanted to cry, the exam went alright. Oh, who am I kidding? It was horrible!

"How did it go?" Will asked me when we sat down together on our usual table in the lunch room.

"Ugh," I replied. "I swear we never learned some of those formulas."

Neither Will nor I had to ask how Jane's exam went when she finally joined us, it was evident by the smile on her face. I had inherited my father's love for books, she had gotten our mother's math genes. Both Mom and Jane had tried to teach me some math but it had never really worked. Mom had given up when I was ten and when Jane tried it always ended up with either one of us screaming. It was usually me, though.

"I feel like I could break into a song right now," I said out of the blue as the three of us walked home. Will chuckled while Jane smiled and rolled her eyes. "I'm not joking," I said. "Summer is finally here, no more obligations, homework, teachers, or foul smelling freshmen."

"Don't call them all smelly, it was only Kurt Howard," Jane admonished.

"Doesn't matter. We're free," I said, spreading my arms as if I were to fly.

Jane laughed at my silliness but Will had another idea. He put his hands under my armpits and lifted me up, making me squeal and Jane laugh even louder. We were all in hysterical laughter by the time he put me down. Our neighbour, old Mrs. Hughes was walking down the street and looked at us with a scowl.

"What has happened to young people today? You are all disgraceful. I'll wish for death to pick me up before I see you leading this country into shame!"

I looked between Will and Jane. We were all stifling our smiles.

"Bloody, fucking children," Mrs. Hughes finished and walked on.

We couldn't restrain ourselves anymore and fell into another fit of laughter. When we finally composed ourselves we went to the Darcy's porch. The three of us sat in the large porch swing and started talking. Will told us about his plans with Charlie that summer. They were going to the beach the following weekend.

"Why don't you join us?" he suggested. "It would be fun."

"Are you sure Charlie would want us there?" Jane asked timidly.

Will gave me the 'Is she kidding?" look.

"I'm in," I said with a smile.

"Great, bring Charlotte too," Will said.

"She's going to Spain tomorrow," I replied.

"Oh. But you'll come?" he asked, looking between Jane and me. "It will be fun."

"Yeah," Jane and I replied together.

"Fantastic," he said with a grin. "I'll call Charlie and tell him about the change of plans."

We left shortly after that conversation ended. Jane went straight into the kitchen to find us something to eat while I called Charlotte to tell her goodbye.

"You'll miss me, right babe?" she asked.

"Of course. Now I have no one to use my awesome pickup lines on," I said with a pout I knew she couldn't see.

"Well, there's always Will."

I snorted. "Yeah, _that's_ going to happen."

"You never know."

"We spoke for a short while before we said our endless and lovesick goodbyes.

"I'll miss you," she cooed.

"I'll miss you more."

"I love you, baby!"

"I love _you_!" I said.

"I love you more than ice-cream."

"I love you more than cinnamon."

"I love you more than cake."

"I love you more than unicorns," I said.

As much as I know you'd want to hear the entire conversation, I had to stop somewhere.

Jane and I managed to get permission from Mom and Dad to go to the beach. Kitty was jealous for a while until Mom promised a shopping trip. Dad rolled his eyes at that with a dry smile. He had been hesitant at first but caved in when our twin power united into one, great puppy dog face.

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><p><strong>Hmmm... wonder what will happen at the beach...<strong>  
><strong> Thanks for reading! I hope you'll leave me a review and tell me what you think :D<strong>


	12. Cabin

Previously on Bittersweet: The group finish their exams and head for summer vacation. Lizzy had a date with Richie (and Will was flaming with jealousy). Jane thinks Charlie doesn't like her anymore, despite his actions otherwise (who am I kidding with this?). Charlotte leaves for Spain. And last but most certainly not least, a unicorn is mentioned. But that's not enough for my friend. Nope, she wants a real one. Not only mentioned. Will she get her wish?

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 12 – Cabin<span>

WPOV

Charlie came over early the following Friday. I could tell he was excited, although he tried to play it cool. Since I'm such a good friend I let him think he was, even when he was playing with the zipper of his sweater and accidentally broke it when the bell rang.

"They're here," I said. "Do you think you can calm yourself?"

"Chuh, I _am_ calm," he said as he tried to stop his shaking hands.

I opened the door to reveal Jane and Ben. Jane's face was mostly covered with her sunglasses but Ben's eyes were clearly visible. They were sparkling as she greeted me and Charlie.

Charlie and I decided to be gentlemen and we took their bags to my parent's car. Charlie struggled with Jane's bag but Ben's duffel was rather light. But, knowing her it didn't come as a big surprise. She had always packed light, especially during weekend trips. I knew this because my family had often travelled with hers. We had spent countless times stuck in a cabin together and forced to play it nice. The main reason for that was because of Georgie. She always gave me the evil eye when I tried to talk back to Ben.

"So," I began, "do you guys want to eat something before we go, or should we just head for the road?"

"We just ate," said Ben and Jane nodded.

"I could go for a b–" Charlie began.

"Well then," I ignored him and clapped my hands together. "Let's get going."

We stepped into the spacious mountain jeep. Jane and Ben went to the back and Charlie sat in the front with me. The drive was supposed to be three hours long but I reckoned we'd be longer considering that I follow speed limits, unlike the passenger next to me. At first, none of us spoke. Ben was softly humming to the music from her MP3-player, Jane was braiding her twin's hair and Charlie was biting his nails.

"So Jane," I began, "when do you start working?"

"On the fifteenth," she said. She looked surprised that I had even spoken. "You?"

"A week earlier. Whose apprentice are you?"

"Mr. Kent's," she replied. "Do you know him?"

"Sort of. He works with my father so I've met him. I've heard nice things about him from... others," I finished, gripping the wheel. I wasn't going to mention that Wickham had been his last apprentice. Silence consumed the car again until I felt the need to speak up. "He has a daughter around our age. Her name is Rebecca. She came by the office a few times last summer. She's nice too," I said, immediately regretting it. I felt my face flush when Ben wolf-whistled. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw she had a large grin on her face. "Shut up," I said but it only made her chuckle.

We stopped at a gas station to go to the loo's. I stood at the urinal, just doing my thing when Charlie entered the room. He did his own thing a few metres away from me, thankfully but unfortunately he started talking.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" he asked. "I'm starving and I could really go for some pizza."

"Sure, let's do that," I said, hoping he would stop talking so I could continue with what I came to do. He didn't.

"Still can't believe Jane is here. She's actually going to be in the same house as me for the next two days!"

How he could both pee and talk at the same time was beyond me. I gave up trying and washed my hands. He did the same and we walked out of there together. Jane and Ben were waiting for us by the entrance. I told them about Charlie's suggestion and they agreed. There was no pizza there so we ended up with hot dogs. We devoured them quickly and stepped back into the car.

"Can I sit with Will?" Ben asked Charlie, taking us both by surprise.

"Um, sure," Charlie replied blushingly. Ben flashed him a brilliant smile and took her seat in the front with me. Charlie was still red in the face as he put his seatbelt on. He looked at Jane, who smiled, and said shyly, "Hi."

Ben and I smiled and rolled our eyes as I started the car. This part of the journey went by much faster. Jane managed to get a few words out of Charlie and I spent most of it speaking to Ben. Being in the car with her was so much easier now than I remembered. In the past, we usually spent our car rides yelling at each other until our parents gave up and put us into separate cars. Why were we in the same car to start with? Well, our parents seemed to think that we might get along if we were forced to confront each other without having an exit. Bad idea, I know.

It was still bright outside when we reached the Bingley's cabin so we decided to ditch our bags and go straight to the beach. We practically ran the entire way. We were shoeless and we were happy. There was a warm breeze and the ocean moved beautifully. Charlie made a move that caught us all by surprise: he took Jane's hand. She welcomed the touch and they ran towards the ocean. The waves hit their feet and Jane shrieked between laughs.

I looked at the companion next to me. She was smiling brightly, almost proudly. She turned her eyes to meet mine, still grinning widely. If possible, her eyes looked even more beautiful when the sun shone. She gestured to me to sit down with her on the sand.

"So," she began with a contented sigh, "you're starting work next week."

"Yup," I replied, looking forward. "You don't start until later, right?"

"The fifteenth, like Jane."

"Excited?"

"Thrilled is more like!" she said with an even larger grin. "It's the job of my dreams. I can finally spend my summer doing something I love, instead of picking up people's trash and painting fences." She screwed up her face. "But I suppose being outdoors was better than being around dusty law books all day."

"Don't be silly, I loved every moment of my job last summer."

"Speaking of that, who is this Rebecca?" she asked, a glint very visible in her eyes.

"I'm not going there," I warned.

"Please?" She pouted. How was I supposed to refuse such a pout?

"Fine," I relented. "She came by a few times and we got along. We started seeing each other a little outside of the firm."

"And?" she asked expectantly.

"And nothing," I said.

"That can't be all there is! You were blushing in the car so there must have been something."

"We were friends. Very good friends."

"Was she your first?"

"What?"

This was getting out of hands.

"Did you lose your virginity to her?"

"I am not getting into this discussion with you," I said firmly.

"Oh, geez! You sound just like my Dad," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Fess up!"

"No, I'm not going to tell you that."

"Why not? We're friends."

"I know but that does not mean that I'm–"

"Was it Caroline?" she interrupted with a scowl.

"_Bennie_," I said with what I hoped was a warning tone.

"Come on, Fitzie!" she said exasperated.

"No. _Especially _not when you call me by that name."

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she finally said. I must have gaped. She used the tip of her fingers to close my mouth.

She had _been _with someone? I couldn't believe it. I felt insanely jealous for some reason I couldn't explain.

She chuckled. When I asked her what was so funny she said, "Your face. You look like I just told you I–"

Jane and Charlie picked that moment to appear. They were both smiling, looking carefree.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jane asked as she sat down next to her sister.

"Nothing," Ben and I replied together. I was thankful she didn't want to embarrass me further.

The four of us simply sat there for a while, watching the ocean. It was dark when we finally headed to the cabin. We decided on rooms before anything else. Jane and Ben would have the master bedroom and Charlie and I would share the room with the bunk beds. We then gathered our bags and put them into the rooms. Then we turned on the small TV that hung in the living room. Nothing was playing and none of us took any DVD's with us. We ate outside, next to the dysfunctional hot tub. Charlie managed to talk without getting tongue-tied, although he had food stuck in his teeth. Ben and I agreed silently not to tell him; it might have thrown him off his game. Jane was as cheerful as ever and seemed to look past it.

"I think she's just happy he's talking to her," Ben said to me as we walked inside with our plates. Charlie and Jane were still outside. We decided not to interrupt them and we let ourselves fall into the couch. "Want to play cards?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied.

She got up and came back a few moments later with a deck of cards. We sat down on the floor and she suggested Poker.

"But I don't have any money," I said.

"Me neither. But we could play for something else."

I was scared to ask. "Like what?"

"Secrets."

I knew it. She just couldn't give up. But then again, I was curious about her past. I had never really thought about it until she made that comment.

"Fine," I said before I could stop myself.

She distributed the cards. I had a horrible hand so it came as no surprise when she won. It was, however, a surprise that she didn't ask the question she had done earlier.

Instead she asked, "Who was your first crush?"

I _might _have lied when I said, "Molly Samson."

She dealt the cards again. This time I felt pretty confident in my victory. I had a straight flush and I thought I had seen her bite her lip nervously. I showed her my cards and mine beat hers by a long shot.

"Who was your first kiss?" I asked. I tried to be nonchalant as I gathered the cards.

"Dan Zetko," she said.

"Zetko?" I asked, surprised. "As in _Zetko_? The guy who ate worms for lunch?"

"That's him. He stole my hat and promised to give it back if I kissed him."

"So you kissed him?" I was shocked.

She chuckled. "Oh, no. I punched him in the gut, took my hat back and turned to make my exit. He, however, pulled me to him and have me a peck on the lips. It wasn't that bad. Believe me, I've had worse."

What was that supposed to mean? Damn, I was becoming like her – curious. I was determined to win the next round. I didn't. She beat my two pair by far with a royal flush. When she collected the cards she gave me a once over. I knew I was in for it.

"Who was she?" she asked sweetly.

I sighed and said quietly, "There was none."

"What do you mean?" she asked. She looked genuinely confused.

"I mean, there was no one. There never has been one," I said. She still looked lost. "I haven't been with anyone… I'm, uh, I'm a virgin."

She blinked. It was rare that she was speechless and, quite frankly, it was scary. At that moment I almost wished she was yelling at me for stealing her mattress. Not that I had ever _actually _stolen her mattress. Fine, but that was only once… or twice…

"What?" she said at last. I knew she wasn't waiting for a reply so I remained quiet, giving her a chance to speak. "But you're…_ you know_," she said, indicating something with her hands. I didn't understand and the look on my face expressed my feelings well. "You know," she said again, "rather… good-looking," she faltered, "… to some people." This made me chuckle quietly. "And your girlfriends… they've all been-"

"Hey," I said in a warning tone but it was no use, I was smiling. "I'm simply romantic, and I'm waiting for 'the one'."

"Well, that's… that's great," she said. "It's great that you've waited."

The curiosity was killing me and before I could control my tongue, I asked, "And yourself?"

"You'll have to win me to find that out," she said and smirked.

"Fine," I said and dealt the cards. It took a few hands, and a few embarrassing questions from her, before I finally beat her hand.

Anticipating my question, she answered before I asked.

"There was no one. I suppose I'm romantic in that way too."

Inexplicable relief washed through me. I couldn't resist a tease, though.

"Wow, Ben. When did you develop feelings?"

"Hanging with you has made me a softie," she retorted.

"You're calling me soft?"

"Yup," she replied with a grin.

"So I'm huggable?" I joked, referring to the awful 'Lizzy likes fat guys' conversation between her and Charlotte.

"Not sure. You look like you're too... well built," she finished awkwardly. "Shall we test it out?"

"We shall!" I replied. I don't why I suddenly felt nervous, but I did. I pulled her close to me, abruptly remembering the night I carried her home. She had been so close. I couldn't help but to breathe in her scent. She smelled fantastic, like something I couldn't quite put my finger on. "What's your verdict?" I asked in a voice I hardly recognised as my own. I pulled away far enough to look into her eyes, her beautiful green eyes. My own wandered down to her full, pink lips. She said nothing in reply. I could tell she was having difficulty breathing, as was I. She let a nod of her head suffice as an answer.

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><p><strong>Do you hate me? Yeah, I know you do. Please send me love letters or hate mail by clicking the friendly review button.<strong>


	13. Almost

**I owe this chapter to my dearest, loveliest friend and co-owner of this account. You should thank _her _for this chapter. Honestly, without her this wouldn't have come together so quickly. She wrote this with me and she deserves as much credit as I do, if not more.**

**This one is shorter than most of the others but isn't it 'quality over quantity'?**

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><p><span>Chapter 13 – Almost<span>

EPOV

We were standing so close. I could hardly catch my breath. I didn't notice when my hand came to rest on his chest but now I could feel his racing heartbeat. I swallowed and prepared myself for what should come next. He leaned in closer, his breath tickled my face. Then, out of nowhere, a unicorn appeared. He was white with rainbow stripes, he was beautiful. He had wings and flew us away into a magic world made of lollipops.

That's what would have happened in a fairytale, right? But this is no fairytale. This is real life.  
>I leaned up to meet him. Tingles ran down my spine and through my core. Then I heard laughter coming from outside. Startled, I moved from Will's arms.<p>

This was wrong.

"Ben," he said quietly and moved closer.

"No," I said and held up my hand.

We were silent. Neither of us dared to move. It wasn't until Jane entered the room with Charlie that the silence was broken. I wondered what expression my face betrayed, it seemed to wipe away their smiles. I looked over to Will, who was looking at the floor. He looked hurt.

"Is everything okay?" It was Jane that spoke first. She looked between Will and me with a worried look about her face.

"Yeah," Will and I said quietly. It wasn't convincing but I managed to communicate to my sister without words not to press the subject.

The four of us tried to play some board games Charlie had brought with him but Will and I were not very good company. Therefore, we gave up and retired.

I was not surprised by the question Jane asked as soon as we closed the bedroom door.

"What happened?"

I sighed and sat on the bed. "There's a slight, possible chance that Will and I almost kissed."  
>Insert high pitched squeal here.<p>

"So why the sour face?" Jane asked after composing herself.

"There was no kiss," I said mournfully. "And there never will be. We were too close tonight and it would only have complicated things if we had gone further. So," I sighed, "despite how I _might_ feel, nothing can ever happen between us."

"What? Why do you say that?"

"I just can't handle that. It... it scares me. I'm happy with Will as my friend. I can't risk losing him again because of some silly feelings. We're better off staying as we were."

...

Jane woke me up the next morning to go to the beach. She practically dragged me out of bed, forced me into my bathing suit and dragged me to the beach. I hid behind a towel the entire walk.

Will and Charlie were already there, sitting on a blanket, wearing nothing but their swimming trunks. Charlie greeted us with a smile when we sat down with them. He offered Jane a juice box, which she gladly accepted. They started talking about some giant fish he had seen in the sea but I could hardly pay attention. My eyes kept wandering to Will, but he wouldn't look at me.

"Hey, Charlie," Jane said, looking between Will and me. "What do you say to a swim?"

He seemed to catch her drift, looking between us as well. "Sounds nice."

They stood up and walked towards the ocean. The waves hit their feet and they moved away, laughing. I would have smiled had it not been for the incredibly strong feeling of awkwardness.

"I think we should talk about yesterday," Will spoke up quietly. When I turned my head to look at him, he was staring at his fingers, playing with the ring on his little finger. He was nervous.

"There's nothing to talk about," I replied and turned my eyes away from him.

"Ben," he said, now burying his feet in the sand, "we need to talk about what happened."

"Nothing happened," I said. He immediately stopped his actions and looked into my eyes. "Fine. Something _almost_ happened," I said stubbornly, "but it will never actually happen."

"Elizabeth," he said softly.

I chose to ignore his loving tone of voice and the fact that he used my first name and fled. Still with the towel around me, I walked towards the cabin. My mind was reeling. I couldn't make any sense of my thoughts but they all included Will.

I had finally reached the cabin when I heard someone behind me. It shouldn't have surprised me that he had followed.

"Come on, Ben," he said, "you can't run away from this... from me."

I turned around to face him. I noticed that he had put on a shirt with our school's logo.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked.

"I want you to admit what almost happened yesterday, not run away from it."

"I'm not running away from anything," I defended. "Nothing happened."

"It could have!"

"But it can't! I don't want anything to happen!"

Silence. I knew I had gone too far but I didn't want to speak up again.

He furrowed his brows. "What?"

"We're better off as friends," I said.

I know, I know: overused cliché but that's what was on the top of my head at that moment.

"I can't just be your friend, I'll always want something more."

"Well, that's something I can't give."

"So, what are you saying? You– you..." he stammered. "You must have meant something yesterday, otherwise that wouldn't have happened. You wouldn't be saying that if something _had_ happened."

"You seem to be quite sure of yourself," I said bitterly.

He looked to be a bit irritated. "It's not about that! I must mean something to you, otherwise we wouldn't have almost kissed!"

"We're better off as friends," I said again, quietly this time, and avoided his gaze.

"How would you know?" he said rather desperately, moving closer. "You haven't tried yet."

I backed away, biting my lip. I couldn't look him in the eyes as I said, "I don't _want_ you."

He blinked. "You... you're rejecting me?" I couldn't acknowledge it nor could I deny it. "You're lying," he said, shaking his head. "You feel the same way I do–" he protested.

"No," I said firmly, finally looking at him. My voice was much stronger than I felt at that moment. Inside I was screaming. "You're better off without me."

Yes, another cliché but sometimes they work the best. Sometimes.

"No, I'm way worse off! Don't do this, please!" he pleaded. "I-I-I... I need you."

The tears I had fought so hard to keep at bay were slipping down my cheeks. "Just leave me alone, Will. I'm not meant for you. We're too different. Hell, we can hardly even work as friends."

"Let me try," he cried, taking a step closer and took a hold of my hand. "Please let me show you what you mean to me. _Please_ let me show you how great we can be."

I removed my hand from his, wiping away my tears. "Please," I whispered.

He stood silent for a moment, simply gazing at me. Then he backed away and nodded. "Well then," he said, "I won't take any more of your time." He paused. "Forgive me."

With that he turned and walked back out of the house. I didn't see him again that day.

I went to bed long before Jane and pretended to be asleep when she entered the bedroom. I knew she could probably tell that I was awake but she said nothing. I was grateful. But when she joined me on the big bed, she draped her arm over my waist. I felt thankful and took comfort in the touch. A few tears escaped my eyes but I had no one but myself to blame for that.

When I woke up the next morning I saw Charlie and Jane eating breakfast together in silence but I saw no sign of Will anywhere.

I grabbed a bowl and poured cereal and milk into it. I ate slowly, barely paying attention to what I was eating. According to Jane I had long finished the bowl, without noticing.

When Will still hadn't showed up I began to get worried.

"Where's Will?" I asked Charlie.

He put the book he was currently reading away and replied, "Oh, I meant to tell you. Will went home yesterday."

"What?" I furrowed my brows. "How? The car is still here."

"He walked to the gas station (remember the one we stopped at?) and his parents picked him up."

"But that's like 10 kilometres!" I exclaimed.

"13, actually," Charlie corrected. "Now he's gone to Italy to fetch Georgie. He's going to stay there until he starts work... on Friday the next, I think."

Italy? He had gone to _Italy_? Had he truly gone to pick up his sister, or was it to avoid me?

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><p><strong>Raise your hand if you want to kill me. Did you raise it? I did.<strong>


	14. Homecoming

**Again, this chapter was written with the help of my partner in crime, Kete. She's my soul mate, sweetheart and slave.**  
><strong>I hope this chapter 'satisfies' your 'needs'... teehee! Oh, I'm so funny!<strong>

"Previously on Bittersweet: Will and Lizzy almost kissed. Will asks her for something more but she rejects him (it's not you, it's me bullsh*t). This results in him leaving the cabin and joining his sister in Italy.

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><p><span>Chapter 14 – Homecoming<span>

WPOV

I won't lie; I was miserable. Being rejected always hurt, I was sure, but being hurt by Ben hurt more than words could ever express. It was as if I had been stabbed in the heart. It didn't make it any better that I kept twitching the knife in my wound, thinking about that incident over and over and over again. What if I had said this instead of that? What if I had done this, not that? What if she had said yes instead of turning me down?

Being stuck on an aeroplane alone, with only my thoughts as company was not helping. It gave me too much time to replay everything in my head.  
>I should have been happy. I was going to see my sister, whom I hadn't seen for about six months. But Georgie rarely made it into my thoughts during that flight.<p>

Instead, Ben's words flowed through my head repeatedly.

_I don't want you._

I couldn't believe she had said that. We had almost shared something special and, instead of rejoicing in it, she chose to spit in my face.  
>Anger was starting to kick in. I could never hate her for anything she said or didn't say, but I definitely felt annoyed. I knew I had no right to but there it was. If those were truly her feelings, I really <em>was<em> better off without her. At least that's what I told myself.

When I landed in Milan I felt worse than before. Georgie was waiting at the gate along with Gran and Grandpa. They all had smiles on their faces, but Georgie's slowly faded as I came into sight. I doubted I looked as bad as I felt but apparently I looked bad enough to make her worry.

Georgie hadn't changed much since the last time I had seen her. Her blonde hair had grown a little longer and she seemed to have grown a little longer. The latter might have had something to do with the fact that she was wearing high heels. My baby sister was wearing high heels. _Will the misery never end_?

Gran and Grandpa still looked the same. It was as if they never got older. They remained happy, smiley and warm. Despite everything that had gone wrong in their lives, they could always find something to be happy about. I always wished I could be more like them.

I was greeted and embraced by them all. Gran hugged me the tightest, as always.

"How was your flight?" Grandpa asked and offered to take my bag. I politely declined his hand and dragged it myself.

"Long," I replied.

"Come on," Gran said and threaded her arm through mine, "let's get you home. You can rest and we'll talk tomorrow. Sound good?"

I nodded. I really _did_ feel tired.

As soon as we got to their white mansion I went into the guestroom and fell straight onto the bed. Sleep found me quickly.

…

"Are you alright?" asked Georgie as soon as I walked into the kitchen the next day.

"Good morning to you too," I said and opened the cupboard with the bowls.

"It's noon," she corrected, "but that's beside the point."

I sat down and poured cereal into my bowl.

"You weren't supposed to be here until Monday," she continued. "Did something happen?" I said nothing. "Do you want to talk about it?" Again, I remained quiet. "Is it Lizzy?" My spoon fell into my bowl with a loud clink. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I said and resumed eating.

"It doesn't sound like nothing," she said and took a seat by the table, right in front of me. "You can tell me, you know."

"I know," I said. "I just don't want to."

"How am I supposed to help then?"

"I never said I wanted your help!" I said loudly, angrily. She said nothing in return. After a while in this fashion had passed I apologised. Again, she said nothing. "I told her… I told her how I felt– feel," I amended, "and she rejected me."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Did she give a reason?"

I snorted. "She said something about me being better off without her and that we're too different to–"

"Different?" she interrupted. "You two are so alike, it's scary. Sure, you don't share many interests but you're both stubborn and unwilling to listen to reason."

"Thank you, Georgiana, I feel so much better," I said sarcastically.

"I think she's full of it. She's probably just scared," she said wisely.

"Scared?"

Georgie nodded. "She might get hurt. Or she might hurt you. I think this shows the depth of her feelings for you." When did my sister become a philosopher? "It's quite romantic when you think about it," she finished dreamily.

Sometimes I simply cannot understand girls. And when I say sometimes I mean most of the time. But Ben wasn't like any other girl I had known. She was smart and funny, she didn't mind making a fool out of herself to make somebody smile. She was everything I always wanted. Everything I'd always want.

Gran and Grandpa walked in. Grandpa started the coffee machine while Gran came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

It wasn't a complete lie. I felt well rested and a bit more peaceful. Ben had entered my dreams but no memory of the other night followed. Only happy thoughts came with her.

…

The stay in Italy wasn't a long one, and it was rather useless when I thought about it. Nevertheless, it was fun and I wouldn't take it back. Gran and Grandpa showed me around the village during my stay. Never before had I consumed so much cheese. Every farmer around every corner let us taste their new, homemade cheese. What was I supposed to do, say no? Are you out of your senses?

Georgie went home with me. Gran cried at the airport as she told us goodbye and I almost stayed behind.

The plane ride home seemed eve longer with Georgie as my company. Instead of repeatedly telling myself off, I had Georgie. And, boy, did she tell me off. "You should have kissed her! I don't understand that whole Hollywood romance schmuck about slowly leaning into a foot-raising kiss. You're just supposed to grab her, gently, pucker up and kiss the life out of her!"

Yes, the plane ride home was _much_ better.

When we arrived at Heathrow my parents hugged Georgie tightly, completely disregarding me... their son. At first Georgie laughed and hugged both of them back, but after a while she was starting to lack oxygen.

"Mom," she croaked. "You're choking me."

Without letting her go, my mother replied with tears in her eyes, "I haven't seen you for six months so I believe I have every right to suffocate you."

My Dad shook his head and pried his wife's arms from Georgie.

"Come now," he said, "we're happy she's here but let's keep her alive, alright?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. They seemed to notice me then. My mother hugged me tightly and my father gently clapped me on the shoulder.  
>The first thing I did when we came home was to go upstairs to my room. I didn't bother to turn on the lights, I simply put down my bag and looked around the familiar room. I glanced out the window at the view straight across from me. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her. She was laying in her bed, reading. I longed to climb over to her, take her into my arms and make her change her mind. Instead I unpacked, leaving the lights off. I couldn't control myself, I kept glancing at her.<br>Why did she have to say no?

I finished unpacking and, without meaning to, I found myself just staring at her. She was so beautiful, so eternally not mine.

...

Dinner was ready by the time the Bennet's arrived. When I opened the door to greet them I hardly noticed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Kitty or even Jane. I only had eyes for Ben. She, however, didn't seem to notice me, or she was choosing to ignore me. She was pulled into a bear hug by my little sister. She seemed to be caught by surprise but she quickly composed herself and hugged Georgie back. When they released their embrace, Georgie went to Jane and Kitty and embraced them both. During that time, Ben stood silent. Her smile was slowly fading and she finally met my eyes. It lasted only seconds, as I couldn't bear to look into her eyes for too long. They reminded me too much of that night. There seemed to have been sorrow but her words had been hurtful. I desperately wanted to believe I had seen a flicker of regret during that fateful conversation, but I knew I was only fooling myself.

"Could you pass the salt, please?" asked my father once we had gathered around the dining room table. The salt in question was placed in front of me but I couldn't move. Beside me sat Ben. She was fidgeting and biting her lip. "Son?" Dad tried to get my attention. "The salt." I reached for it, and so did Ben. Our fingers touched and we both snapped our hands back as if we had been burned.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, people!" exclaimed my sister, got up, reached for the salt and handed it to our father before taking her seat again.

There was silence through the rest of dinner. Alright, I'm lying, but there might as well been. All I could hear was my own heavy breathing and fast beating heart. I was actually worried for a while that Ben could hear it too.

"Coffee in the living room?" suggested my mother. The adult party agreed heartily while Georgie and Kitty only muttered their consent. Jane, Ben and I were silent.  
>The parents sat close together, probably speaking about something important, apparent by the look on their faces and their hushed voice. Georgie sat on the floor with Kitty, and Jane took a seat next to her twin. I was left standing, pondering where to sit. The option was the floor, or next to Jane. I went with the latter and took my seat silently.<p>

Ben didn't pay any attention to me, she only continued to speak to her sister. I felt uncomfortable sitting there with no one to talk to and nothing to do. All of the sudden, Jane turned to me.

"So," she started conversationally, "you're starting work tomorrow."

I was rather surprised she had spoken so I hesitated before replying. "Y-yes," I stuttered. I had no idea how to continue the conversation, despite that I desperately wanted to.

"So am I," she said.

"But I thought you didn't start until next week."

"That was the plan but Mr. Kent called me yesterday and asked me to start earlier."

"Is that even legal?"

"Must be. Probably some loophole in the contract that says he can basically control me," she attempted to joke.

"Let's hope not, they're sure to use it to their advantage. Last year I worked for Mr. Halloway and he made me do his laundry! He realised his mistake, though, when his laundry came out light green."

She was laughing now. "You're kidding!"

"Am not," I said, smiling. "But I'll tell you this, Mom taught me how to separate my laundry when I was younger so there was no accident that a green sock slipped in with his whites."

"That's so cruel," she said through her laughter. I chuckled along until I looked at Ben. I only saw her profile. She was looking down, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I'm actually very excited to be starting a bit earlier," Jane said after her laughter subsided.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Less time spent with hormone crazed sister and her squealing friends," she said in a stage whisper, nodding her head towards Kitty. This elicited another chuckle from me.

As the evening went on the parents moved themselves to the large dining room table and sat there, discussing their serious matters. In the meantime, Jane had moved to the floor to talk to Georgie and her younger sister. This left Ben and me alone on the couch. My palms began to sweat when I realised this. I sincerely wanted to speak to her but I had no idea what to say. I knew she wouldn't start up a conversation on her own but, as she had once said, the silence was overbearing.

"You start work on Monday, right?" I asked, barely managing my shaky voice.

She looked up, surprise written on her face.

"Um, yeah," she mumbled but offered nothing more.

I took a deep breath, summoning up the courage to speak. "Listen, Ben," I said quietly so no one could hear. "I don't want things to be this way between us. I want to understand why you said no, but I don't. I doubt I ever will but I don't want this to ruin what we had. I'd rather have you as a friend... as _only_ a friend than not at all." I paused. "I don't want to lose you."

She sat and stared at me during my speech, dumbstruck. The silence was killing me. I prepared myself to be let down again.

"You'll never lose me," she whispered and smiled shyly.


	15. Perfect

**I know this update is a little later than the others, and I honestly have no good excuse. Except maybe that I had a hard time writing this chapter. It has been complete for some time now but I didn't want to publish it because to me it wasn't very good. So, I rewrote it and came up with this. It's not that great, doesn't move the story forward, it's more of a filler than anything.**

**I promise to be a good girl and update chapter 16 much faster. I have a pretty good idea where this story is heading so it shouldn't be too hard. Just bear with me.**

Previously on Bittersweet: Will runs away to Italy to see his sister (*scoffs* yeah, right). Georgie goes home with him, telling him how much of an arse he is. In the end, Will and Lizzy seem to have reconciled a little.

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><p><span>Chapter 15 – Perfect<span>

EPOV

Things got back to normal. Well, almost. Things between Will and me were still a little rocky at times but we got better and better at communicating. We got along and managed to try our best not to leave too many silences and opportunities for awkwardness. And yet, there was a feeling I couldn't shake every time I was around him. Sometimes I wondered whether or not I had made the right decision by turning him down.

We didn't see much of each other, however, when we started working. He spent most of his days, and sometimes nights, at the law firm with Jane. They often returned home together late in the evening, both too exhausted to do anything. I, on the other hand, was only working from 8 to 16 so I had all the time in the world. Because of this I often found myself shopping with Kitty. I had hoped that Georgie being around meant that I was free from my duties as an older sister, but no. Georgie was much better at making excuses. Sometimes they sounded like this: "Sorry, I have to practice. Can't go back to Italy without my talent!", and sometimes like this: "Sorry, Mom wants me to stay home to, um, bake for the charity auction." An evil mind Georgie was. I wasn't. Mine sounded more like: "Sorry, sis, I really need to, um, beat my score in... in my new game."

After I'd give Kitty some of my best pathetic excuses, she'd grab my arm, throw me into the car and yell loudly at my mother, who sat by the wheel: "Drive, woman, drive!"

So, this is how I found myself in the mall with my _darling _little sister. She was going to some summer party with her friends the following weekend and desperately needed a new dress. She had already gone through Jane's closet and found nothing, which was a surprise since Jane had the best taste of us all. Then Kitty raided my closet, a rare thing, and unsurprisingly found nothing for her there.

"How can you not own a dress?" she had said.

"I _do_ own dresses," I had replied calmly.

"None from this century!"

Kitty went between stores, dragging me along. Sometimes I wandered off to the game-stores or the vintage stores. I checked out some new games that I desperately wanted to buy, but couldn't afford. In the vintage stores I drooled over the fantastic dresses and one in particular. It was rather short, reaching mid-thigh and the sleeves reached the elbows. It was black but red roses covered most of it. To make it even better, there was a big bow attached to the hip!

It was pure perfection.

I looked at the price tag and bit my lip. It was a bit out of my price range but it was tempting to buy it. Very tempting.

I was just about to turn around when I saw a figure duck behind a clothing rack. I caught a glimpse of golden blonde hair.

I walked towards the rack. "Georgiana Darcy."

"...No," said the figure quietly.

"Georgie, I know it's you."

"Fine," she relented and came into sight.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I saw an ad for these shoes," she held up a pair of red granny boots, "and wanted to buy them."

I crossed my arms and gave her my best stern look. "And you couldn't go with Kitty?"

She looked chastised. "Well, um..."

"Georgiana, you have a vicious mind."

She looked down at her feet. "I know, I know."

"Tell me how you do it," I said, finally cracking a smile.

"What?"

"Lizzy!" came my sister's voice.

"Hide!" I hissed to Georgie. "Save yourself!"

"You're being a little overdramatic," Georgie replied as I tried to push her into one of the dressing chambers.

"Do you _want_ to shop with her?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

She looked pensive before saying, "You're right."

She closed the curtain just before Kitty arrived by my side.

"Come on," Kitty said, "I found an amazing dress and I want to try it on."

"I'll be right there," I said.

Kitty walked back to the other store. I turned around to do the same but I couldn't leave the store, not without buying the dress I had been drooling over.

I took it from the rack and held it up.

"I have a birthday coming up," I said to myself, trying to argue my case to my own head, "I must have a dress for that." I bit my lip as I continued to stare at it. "It can be worn for any occasion, so really it's an investment."

"Do you realise you're talking to yourself?" whispered Georgie from inside the chamber.

"Hush, you," I replied. "You can come out, by the way, she's gone."

Georgie reappeared with a smile. She then noticed the dress.

"I must say, I agree with your head. You _have_ to buy it."

I looked at it once more and decided. "What the hell, I passed all of my exams, I deserve a little treat."

"Good girl," said Georgie, winked and patted my back.

I left the store with a smile glued to my face and a big paper bag in my hand.

"I guess you ought to go before Kitty sees you," I said to Georgie.

"Nah, she has found something to wear," Georgie replied. "She'll hardly stay much longer."

"Have you met my sister?"

Georgie laughed as we walked into the store where Kitty was waiting.

"Hey," said Kitty as she noticed Georgie. "What are you doing here?"

Georgie took a short moment to find a decent lie. "I had to pick up a few things from the store to continue baking for the charity fundraiser."

"Oh," said Kitty, apparently not noticing Georgie's absent groceries. "Well, that's great. Maybe you can help me, then."

"Yay," said Georgie with feigned enthusiasm.

After Kitty had finally found 'the perfect dress' we went to a café. Kitty seemed to be high and would not stop talking but Georgie and I were exhausted. We both lacked the shopping gene. However, Georgie beamed when she saw her brother appear with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Willy!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him.

"Humph," was all he managed.

"Won't you sit with us?" Georgie suggested, pointing towards our table.

He seemed to notice me for the first time. He smiled as our eyes met.

"What are you doing at the mall, Ben?" he asked as he took a seat in front of me. "You usually try your best to avoid it."

"My best wasn't good enough this time," I mumbled quietly so only he could hear.

He chuckled. I couldn't help but thinking how nice his laughter sounded.

Georgie looked strangely between the two of us before suggesting to Kitty they'd hit another store.

"I saw a necklace earlier that would fit perfectly with that dress," she said.

Kitty left enthusiastically with her.

Georgie was sacrificing herself to leave me and Will alone. She must have _really_ wanted us to talk. However, it wasn't as easy as it sounded. We became silent after they had taken their leave.

"How's work?" I asked after some time.

"Good... it's good," he replied. Then he started telling me about his day of documenting files and such, said his new boss was much better than his former, and how incredibly boring the job could sometimes be. "It's nice to have Jane, though," he added.

"What? It's nicer to talk to her than some dusty old law books?"

He snorted and replied sarcastically, "Yes, because I do so much of _talking_ _to_ law books."

"Whatever strikes your fancy," I teased.

After that, he asked me about my own job. I giggled a little before replying.

"We get some, um, _interesting_ customers."

I ended up telling him all about the people who had come by the store in the past few days. There was the old lady with the _Kama_ _Sutra_ book. She had opened said book and suggested to me some _great_ positions for people with bad hips. I had smiled and nodded, secretly visualising her naked doing all those things and wanting to throw up. Will laughed hard throughout my tale, I could have sworn he was tearing up. Then there was the weird old guy that came by every day. He walked around the store, picking his nose when he thought no one was looking, glance through some books and then leave. And last, but most certainly not least, was the terrifying, tough looking guy who picked up a copy of _Twilight_. I had almost laughed but the boy had scowled so I kept my mouth shut.

"It's for my sister," he had said.

"I'm not judging," I had replied.

"I'm not saying you are, but that's for my sister."

"If you say so."

He had then stared at me while I charged him, ready to say something if I would open my mouth again. He had then thanked me and taken off.

Will was suppressing a smile when I finished my tale.

"I'm very surprised at you, Ben," Will said. "I would have thought you'd take any given opportunity to make fun of somebody."

"I only mock you, Will."

"Oh," he said and held his hand over his heart, "I'm _that_ special?"

"You are," I replied, smiling. "Only you, Will, only you."

...

I stood, in all my innocence, in front of the desk at the book store when I heard a voice speak up.

"Ms. Bennet," said the disdainful voice. I was shocked. Before me stood the school librarian, Mrs. Piscue.

"Mrs. Piscue," I said, swallowing, "lovely to see you again."

She looked at me with a scowl. "I wish I could say the same."

"C-Can I help you?" I asked and faked a smile.

"I sincerely doubt it," she said condescendingly, then muttering some unkind words. I frowned. "I'm looking for Peter."

"You mean Mr. Harrell?" I asked. Mr. Harrell was my boss. "He's on a break."

She scoffed, looked me once over and left with one last look of contempt. I finally breathed when she closed the door behind her. That woman simply scared me. I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley. Even if I'd have a gun and an entire gang behind me, and all she'd have was her scornful expressions. I'm pretty sure I would lose that fight. As well as my dignity. The little part of it I still have intact, at least.

I came home a bit later than usual that day. Mr. Harrell had asked me to cover his night shift so he could go out. I accepted gladly; I had a dress to pay. When I finally entered the house I was surprised to see my sister in the living room. She was sitting on the sofa, staring forward.

"Hey," I greeted. "Funny running into you here."

"I think Charlie has friend zoned me," Jane said directly, without looking up.

"What?" I took a seat next to her.

"He asked me to come over and I thought: 'Oh, this is great. This might mean he's in for something more.' But no. He asked me over to his house to play video games. I mean, I like video games and all but seriously? That's not something I want to share with him."

"Yeah, no kidding. You attacked me when I beat your score on Halo," I said, earning a scolding look.

"Be serious here. I was really starting to like him and, well, I've been game zoned."

"Oh, Janie," I sighed, "do I really need to go over the speech again? I will, if that's what you want but I'd much rather get something to eat."

She betrayed a hint of a smile. "You don't have to lecture me again on how Charlie supposedly likes me." She sighed. "Well, at least now I have someone to play videogames with who isn't going to–"

"Beat you every time," I finished with a teasing smile.

"I was going to say 'who isn't going to yell 'in your face, bitch!' every time they win'," she said accusingly but her smile ruined the effect of her tone.

I pursed my lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

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><p><strong>A little pointless chapter but bleeehhhhh...<strong>

**If you want to see the shoes and the dress I tried to describe (horribly, I might add), visit the profile. I've put up links for both. **

**And, as always, please tell me what you think. The poor review button got no love on Valentine's Day (well, duhh, I didn't update) so be a darling and give it a little lovin'. **


	16. Kiss

**You see? I can update quickly :D**  
><strong>Big love to my lover, proof-reader and co-owner of this account, Kete for helping me with this chapter.<strong>  
><strong>Well, I won't keep you much longer. Let's get to the reading!<strong>  
><strong>Here we go!<strong>

Previously on Bittersweet: Lizzy bought herself a dress to use for a special occasion. Wonder what that special event will be... Also, we hear about Lizzy's customers, featuring the return of the school librarian Mrs. Piscue (Oh, I love her! She is how I imagine myself in the future... along with a dozen cats) and Jane has been friendzoned by Charlie (**Update 14.01.15: I hope you were being sarcastic here, past self)**.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 16 – Kiss<span>

WPOV

Just get it through your head, Will; she's not yours and she doesn't want to be. That won't change, despite how you feel. Just forget about her. She's your friend. Just a friend.

"Are you out of your mind?" Georgie exclaimed after she had finally forced this information out of me.

"No, I think I've finally found it," I replied. "It's over, I've given up. I'm not going to pine after her anymore. She wants us to be friends and I... I'm okay with that."

"What?" she yelled, pacing my bedroom floor. "No, you're not."

"_Yes_, I am. I have to be. I'm... I'm over it."

She sat down on my bed, crossing her hands and stared at me for a moment before muttering, "Wuss."

"Pardon?"

"You're behaving like a coward, Will. Why can't you just tell her how you feel? Why do you need to turn this into a teenage soap opera?"

"It's not that simple."

"It _is_ that simple," she argued. "Just tell her."

I stared at her for a few moments, arguing with my head whether I should tell her the truth or not. I finally decided to go for it. I had nothing to lose, anyways. I sighed. "I'm afraid she'll reject me again."

"She won't," Georgie said softly. "She obviously likes you."

"Yes, as her _friend_."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Not just like that."

"If she liked me in some other way, then why did she turn me down?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know. Pride? Teenage girl drama? Or maybe it's like I told you on the plane; she's scared."

"I don't want her to be scared of me," I said quietly.

"She's not afraid _of_ you, you daft cow," Georgie said, rolling her eyes. "She's afraid of her feelings _for_ you."

"Well," I said, rising from my desk, "we will never know." Now emI/em was the one pacing the floor, combing my fingers through my hair. "Ben has never been very keen on sharing her feelings."

Georgie scoffed. "And you are?"

"I never said I was."

Georgie regarded me pensively. "You know what? Maybe it's best that the two of you don't get together. Your children would have major problems with exposing their true feelings."

"Well, it's good then, isn't it? I'm over her."

...

"Hiya, Will," said Ben as I opened the door to greet her. She looked lovely.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" After seeing her expression, I added, "Not that it isn't very nice to see you."

She grinned. "I'm just here to invite you and your family to Jane and my birthday party next weekend." She walked towards the bench on the porch. I followed silently. "We're having it in our backyard."

"Oh, like the good old days?" I asked with a smile as we took our seats.

"Yes, but let's not repeat those days. I'd like to get through my birthday without a hitch."

"I solemnly promise to behave," I said, holding my hand against my chest.

"I appreciate that," she said, smiling. Her smile slowly faded as we continued to look at each other for a few moments without saying a word. She looked down and cleared her throat. "I should go." She stood up and so did I. "I'll see you later."

She left without another look.

I watched her as she walked away, my mind reeling. I felt like I had seen something in her eyes. I knew it was a long shot but I felt like there could have been something there. Could Georgie have been right? Could Ben actually _like_ me?

I shook those thoughts out of my head. You don't like her in that way, I tried to tell myself. It wasn't working very well but one thing did. Ben had told me herself that she did not want me. Remembering this is what made me lose all hope.

...

I sat on the sofa at Charlie's house, a strange expression across my face.

"So, what exactly are you saying, Charlie?" I asked him as soon as I could find it in me to speak.

"I know I'll never get Jane to like me as something more than a friend so... I'm becoming her... her friend," he finished sullenly.

"So, what now? You're going to go shopping together, braid each other's hair, paint each other's toenails and gossip?"

"No!" he said loudly, standing from his seat. "Dude, I'm a dude. I do emnot/em do any of those things. I'm not about to lose my masculinity."

"What's left of it, anyway," I said under my breath.

"But," said Charlie, holding up his finger as if he had just had an epiphany, "maybe that's what I need to do to establish some trust. And then, later, I can make my move!"

"As her gay best friend?"

"She thinks I'm gay?" he asked loudly, horrified at the thought. It was actually kind of entertaining.

"Oh, God," I mumbled into the palm of my hand.

"That's it," Charlie said. "I'm calling it all off. I'll just go back to being the weird guy."

"You never lost that position."

"I'm moving on," he continued, ignoring me. "I mean it. Don't look at me like that, Will. It's time I find someone who's a little less out of my league."

"Well, if you truly mean that," I said, giving him a certain look.

"I do," he said unconvincingly. "This ship has sailed. I'm going to find someone else to crew."

"You really suck at metaphors."

"As of today, I am harbouring no feelings for Jane Bennet."

I scoffed. "I don't believe that for a second."

"Darcy," he whined. "I'm trying to convince myself, here!"

...

A few days later I found myself entering a conversation with Jane about Charlie.

"Has he said anything to you about me?" she asked.

"Who? Charlie?" I asked while trying not to spill my juice all over myself.

"Who else?"

"Oh, he may have mentioned you a few times," I said with a smile, conveying to her that it had in fact been quite often. Instead of the usual blush, she looked down sadly. "What's wrong?"

"It's probably nothing," she said. "It's just that... well... I think that whatever might have happened between us never will."

"I'm sorry," I said honestly.

She shrugged. "Oh, well. There are other fishes in the sea, I suppose."

The corner of my mouth quirked up.

...

Jane and I had to stay at the office a little later than usual one Friday night. Dad still sat in his office, writing documents and a few other people still had their lights on.

Our task was to file some documents for Dad's colleague. After we had finally finished that task, we were asked to file the rest of the unsorted documents in the storage room. We shrugged and agreed, thinking it couldn't be much harder than the one we had just finished. It was, much more.

Horror appeared at the other side of the door. Everything was out of place and there was no way to _ever_ sort _any_ of this.

"I trust you can get this done," Mr. Kent said. "It should be easy for such young souls as yourselves."

Jane raised her eyebrows, looking an awful lot like her twin, and I just looked at the man doubtfully.

He then left us alone to work, careful to close the door. We both sighed audibly, picking up a few papers and then sighing again.

"Guess we better start," Jane said and sat down on the floor.

I took a seat on the floor in front of her. We rummaged through the papers, occasionally filing them. We had gone through a lot of it and yet, there was a lot left.

"They hardly expect us to finish this tonight," I said after some while had passed in silence.

"Hope not," Jane said. "There's no way we can do that."

"Are they even allowed to do this? I mean, doesn't our contract mention that we need sleep?"

"Will," she said, chuckling, "the guys who wrote it are lawyers; you _know_ they found loopholes in them."

She was most likely right. I chuckled with her. That was when I heard a strange sound. She swiftly moved her hand to her stomach and blushed.

"Was that your stomach?" I asked amused.

"It _has_ been a while since I ate," she said, still blushing adorably.

"Come on," I said, standing up and signaling her to do the same. "Let's feed you."

She stood on her feet and followed me.

"Where are we going? The cafeteria isn't open anymore and neither are any close stores."

"It's a secret," I joked.

We walked along the halls a little further until we got to the final destination. I heard her chuckle quietly.

"Wow, the wending machine," she said after her laughter had subsided. Her smile still remained as she looked at me.

"Pick anything you like, it's on me," I said and pointed towards the machine.

"You don't have to do that."

I insisted to pay until she finally relented. She decided on a big chocolate Corny bar. I found that I, too, was hungry and selected one of those myself. We ate them as we walked back to the storage room.

After we had finished eating, work became much easier. We were also able to talk more freely and I must admit; I was very much enjoying her company.  
>Most of the time when we talked it was about law, and sometimes it was forced small talk. But now we spoke about everything and nothing. From school to our friends to our hopes for the future. I was starting to feel a connection with her.<p>

I have no idea how, or who initiated it, or when exactly it happened amidst all of that, but it happened quickly and without thought; our lips met in a gentle kiss.

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><p><strong>Oh, hell no! What is that bitch (that's me :P) doing? She's completely ruining the story! How could she? Everything was going perfectly until she goes ahead and sabotages it all! Adkjglskjfldsamsjdfkdf!<strong>  
><strong>I might have to apologise for everything in this chapter but I choose to apologise for only one thing: the shortness of it.<strong>


	17. Birthday: Part 1

**OVER 200 REVIEWS? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP! You guys rock! I love each and every one of you and because I love you so much (and because I don't really feel like getting murdered in my sleep), here's another update. It was a fast one, but I hope it's a good one.**  
><strong>Love me. LOVE ME!<strong>

Previously on Bittersweet: Do I even dare to say what happened in the previous chapter? Well, I'll just say this: There were dramatic moments during which two guys made a decision not to have feelings for the girls of their dreams. Then there was a kiss between Jane and Will, which I'm sure you all remember...

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><p><span>Chapter 17 – Birthday: Part 1<span>

EPOV

It had been a long day at work. My feet ached from standing so much and my arms hurt from carrying so many books. As soon as I came home I went into my room and prepared for bed. However, I couldn't prepare for Jane entering my room with a guilty expression on her face. She didn't say a word, she simply looked down and bit her lip. I walked towards my bed and got under the sheets. I rested my head against the headboard and waited until she spoke.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

I furrowed my brow. "What for?"

She finally looked into my eyes. She had tears in hers.

"Will and I... we... we kissed."

I said nothing. How could I? My sister and my best friend. My sister and my...

"I swear it meant nothing–" she continued, coming closer.

"You don't need to excuse it," I found myself saying. "Why should I care? It's not like we were together, or anything."

"Lizzy–"

"I need to get some sleep," I said and moved myself to a laying position. I turned my back to her, burying myself under the sheets.

She was silent for a while and I thought she had left.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. I could hear she was fighting back tears but I remained silent. For the first time in my life I didn't want to comfort her, I didn't want to make her feel better.

I heard the door shut and I released a breath. That's when the tears started to emerge but I was determined not to cry. I felt rotten, but why? I had had my opportunity and had done nothing. But then there was Charlie. As bad as I felt, I knew he would feel even worse.

How could they have done this?

...

The next day I walked out of my house, a wounded expression on my face, I was sure. I sat down on one of the porch steps. From next door I heard two guys yelling. I was curious and looked over to the Darcy's house.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Will and wiped the blood that was now pouring out of his nose. He was laying on the grass in his front yard.

"I thought you were my friend," Charlie said, angrily. I had never seen him angry before and it wasn't something I looked forward to seeing again.

"I _am,_" Will said, drying the blood on his lip. He picked himself up.

"How could you then? You knew I liked her."

"What are you talking about?" Will asked confused.

"Jane!" Charlie said loudly. "I _know_ you kissed her,"

"It didn't mean anything, I swear... Charlie, you know I would never do anything to hurt you... you're my best friend. That kiss... it was nothing, it was just a spur of the moment type of a thing and it won't happen again, I promise you."

"So you were just leading her on...?"

"No, I... it meant nothing, I promise."

"How can I believe anything you say?"

"Because I'm your best friend and–"

"A best friend would _never_ have done what you did!"

With that said, Charlie took off. I couldn't have said that better myself. Will remained standing, staring after his friend's retreating figure. Then he turned around. That was when he noticed me. There was a moment where we just stared at each other. I saw in his eyes that he was trying to apologise but I couldn't accept it. I stood up and went back into the house, shutting the door louder than necessary.

This was crazy and I knew that. I had told myself over and over again that I did not like Will as anything more than a friend. I had even told _him_ that. I repeatedly told myself that; when Kitty raided my room to borrow my hairbrush, when Dad asked me to pass the potatoes, when Mom asked me to move away from the TV, and when I lay in bed that night. So if that were the truth, then why did this hurt so much?

...

I stood in front of the mirror in my new dress. It was my birthday. I should have been happy. I should have been hugging my twin but I had barely even looked at her.

I looked at my reflection and tried to fake a smile. My best smile made me look like I was sucking on a lemon but it would have to do.

As I greeted my guests, I wished Charlotte were by my side. She would have made me feel better. She would probably have called me a teenage drama queen, told me to suck it up and be a woman, and then she would make me a promise to kick Will where it hurts. I chuckled at the thought and realised I hadn't done so in days.

"Earth to Lizzy Bennet," said Georgie, waving her hand in front of my face, trying to wake me from my thoughts. When I snapped out of it, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I told her. It sounded unconvincing, even to my own ears. "It's my birthday, after all."

"It is," Georgie agreed. "Which is why you should be wearing a smile instead of that pathetic excuse of an expression you have on right now."

For some reason, I looked over to where Will stood alone by the buffet table. A part of me wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but another part wanted to run to him.

"Will really regrets it, if that's of any consolation," Georgie said.

Will had told his little sister about the incident? Well, I shouldn't have been surprised; they shared everything.

I attempted another smile and excused myself. I walked into the house, straight into my room and tried to compose myself. I was probably being the worst host in the world but I hardly cared. I quickly splattered some cold water on my face and then returned outside. When I walked into the garden I immediately noticed Charlie staring into his soda can. I went over to him and greeted him. He wished me a happy birthday and then we became silent.

"Are you angry at Jane?" I found myself asking.

He shook his head. "No. But I wish I was. It would make this a whole lot easier. I think I just... I don't know. I just don't blame her for it, I had basically told her I just wanted to be her friend."

The latter seemed all too familiar.

As an afterthought he added, "I'm not even angry at Will anymore. I think all of my anger left with my punch."

I almost chuckled.

A few people had gathered on the grass and were dancing to the soft piano music that Georgie was now producing. I had never been much of a dancer but seeing all of the people looking so happy made me think that for just a few moments, everything could be alright.

"Would you like to dance?" asked Charlie, holding out his hand.

"Um, sure," I said, accepting it, hesitantly at first.

He lead me to the 'dance floor' and we took our position. It became apparent very quickly that neither one of us knew how to dance. We were stepping on each other's shoes, bumping our heads together and following different rhythms.

"I don't think we're doing this correctly," I commented with a laugh.

He chuckled with me. "Well, it's our parents' fault, isn't it? They're the ones who took us out of those dancing lessons."

"I think they were just afraid that somebody would 'accidentally' break something."

"Given the toe incident, I'm not surprised," Charlie said.

"May I cut in?" asked a familiar voice.

Charlie and I stopped our silly and awkward dance and turned to face Will. He looked between the two of us. I couldn't tell whether he was apologetic or scared shitless. He held out his hand for me to take. I think I surprised him by accepting it and allowing him to hold me while we danced to the torturously slow music Georgie had started to play as soon as I departed from Charlie. I was starting to think she had planned it.

As Will and I danced, I saw Charlie talk to Jane. She looked somewhere between relieved and happy.

"Are you angry with me?" Will's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"No," I said flatly.

I was trying really hard to concentrate on my feet and ignoring the way it felt to have Will's arms around me. He felt so secure, so warm. But then there was the feeling of anger that was hard to keep down.

"It didn't mean anything," he said.

"Whatever you say."

"Elizabeth," he said softly. He lifted my chin with his index finger, forcing me to look him in the eye. "I know I deserve every foul word in your vocabulary–"

"That's true," I said.

"Then throw some at me! Stop torturing me like this. If you want to hit me, do so," he said. "It made Charlie feel better."

I bit my lip to keep me from smiling at the memory.

"Look who's a little sadistic," he continued with a smile.

I frowned. Just because I was laughing inside did _not_ mean that he was supposed to make jokes.

"If it meant nothing," I began quietly, "then why did it happen?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. It–it just happened."

"Do you still feel it?" I asked.

He furrowed his brow. "Feel what?"

How was I supposed to put in words what I wanted to say?

"Do you still... feel something... for me?"

He looked befuddled and immediately stopped dancing.

"Of course I do," he replied.

I let go of him. "Then why did you do it? Why did you kiss my sister if you still feel something for me?"

He looked at me like he was about to say something, then he seemed to have changed his mind. His face betrayed anger now. "Why would you care? You don't want me, you said it yourself. You have no right to judge this. I feel bad that it happened, sure, but mainly because it hurt Charlie. You shouldn't be angry or even hurt, since you made it very clear that you don't like me that way."

"You know what, Will? You're absolutely right. I don't give a damn what you do, so do me a favour and stay out of my life."

With that, I turned away from him and walked quickly towards the front of the house. I regretted those words as soon as they had come out of my mouth but then it was too late. I choked back the tears that were threatening to run and tried my best to carry myself on. I had only reached the side of the house when I heard Will yell: "Bennie, wait!"

I stopped dead in my tracks. Then I did something I will never know why; I took off my high-heel and threw it at him after I had turned to face him.

"Ow! What the hell?" he exclaimed after getting hit.

Like I said, I'm not sure why I had done that. Maybe it was because Will had encouraged me to throw something at him, or maybe I just desperately wanted to do something dramatic.

I turned my back at him once again and started walking towards the house. I had aimed for a nice, classy exit – like you see in the movies – but being shoeless isn't all that classy. I limped a few steps, turned around again and was surprised to see Will stand so close.

"I'm not going to stay away from you, Ben," he said, gravelly. His eyes were searching mine and I could feel his breath on my face. When I moved away from him I noticed that he was holding my shoe. I reached for it but he took it out of my grasp. "We both know you like me, otherwise the kiss wouldn't have affected you so much."

I ignored him; I wasn't about to admit that he was right. I made another attempt to get my shoe. He moved it further away from my grasp. "Give me back my shoe, Will."

"No," he said stubbornly. "You threw it at me so technically it's mine."

"You're being a child," I retorted and jumped again for my shoe. "Bloody bastard!"

He moved my shoe from my reach, grabbed me by the waist and pressed his soft lips on mine. I wanted to push him away but my body didn't cooperate with my wishes. Instead, I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him closer. I completely surrendered to his warm touches and sweet kisses.

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><p><strong><em>Now<em> do you love me?**

**Remember to review and leave me your opinion! I always enjoy reading your thoughts on each chapter, reading your insults (I'm talking about you, Laila) and reading your love-confessions for me.**  
><strong>Alright, maybe the last part was made up.<strong>  
><strong>Peace out, my lovelies.<strong>

**Update 14.01.15: The lovely **dauntlessblackhawk **(thanks again) alerted me that some of the chapters had been posted in html code formatting (I was doing a bit of cleaning last year) and I hope I fixed that problem. **

**It's weird coming back to this story. It's like this story was written by someone else. I feel like I've grown up a lot, like an entirely new person. I see now that the story painfully clichéd sometimes, sexist, slut-shaming and very pretentious at times. I kind of want to change it, but I also kind of want to keep it up like this to remind myself of my earlier writing, and perhaps my earlier way of thinking. But I want my readers to know that I'm a different person now and I want you all to know that GAAAHH SO MUCH IN THIS STORY IS NOT OKAY. I've matured from this slut-shaming do-do that I obviously once was. Internalised misogyny everybody!**


	18. Birthday: Part 2

**Um... h-h-hello *nervous laughter* Remember me? It's been a while...**

**I can say in all honesty that it's all my school's fault! I have a lecture and a huge essay, a few tests plus normal homework. So if you want to blame someone for the late update, blame my teachers! I'm innocent.**

**Oh, and also, I was reading _The Hunger Games_ but I think I can be forgiven for that... right?**

**Anyhow, this chapter was hard for me to write, but I hope it's good enough. If it isn't, don't be afraid to complain. **

**Sorry about the shortness but hey! At least I finally managed to spit this out on paper :P**

**I hope you enjoy!**

Previously on Bittersweet: Lizzy is heartbroken over the kiss Will shared with Jane, but doesn't want to admit her feelings. Charlie punches Will, and Lizzy throws a shoe at him. The pair fights. That fight ends with a kiss.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 18 – Birthday: Part 2<span>

WPOV

It felt better than in my wildest dreams. Her lips were so soft, her body so warm. I never wanted to let her go. She was so responsive, pulling me closer and kissing me passionately. I knew something that felt so great was too good to last.

She pushed me away and then gave me a slap for good measure.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she said. I tried my best to ignore how beautiful she looked when her lips were swollen because of my kisses.

"What's wrong?"

"'What's _wrong_?'" she repeated and laughed one short laughter. "You can't just kiss me and expect all to be forgiven! Charlie may have forgiven the two of you but I certainly haven't."

"What do you want me to do? Beg your forgiveness? I'll do that!"

"That's not what I want, Will."

"Tell me what the bloody hell you want!"

"I want to be left alone!" she yelled. "I want this all to just go away."

"It was never supposed to happen–"

"But it did," she interrupted.

"Why does it affect you so much?" I asked.

"Because I like you!" she yelled, and then she seemed to regret saying it. But I didn't care, I was too happy that she had admitted her feelings. I came closer with every intention to kiss her again, but she pushed me away. "Just because I like you, doesn't mean that it's okay for you to kiss my _sister_," she emphasised.

"If I could take that kiss back, I would, but I can't. What can I do to make this better?"

"Just give me some time," she said softly. "Don't pressure me."

"I'll give you all the time you need, but just know what I would _never_ pressure you into doing something."

She scoffed and allowed a small smile. "Riiiight."

I knew what she was referring to and I was glad she was joking but I couldn't help but wonder how much time she would actually need. I would give her anything but waiting would make me go crazy.

"Lizzy!" came Mrs. Bennet's voice. "Lizzy, your uncle wants to take a photo of you."

From the corner of my eye I saw Ben roll her eyes.

"I'll be right there," she told her mother. After Mrs. Bennet had left, Ben turned to me. "Well, bye... I suppose." With that, she left me. I knew she had only gone into the back yard but it felt like she was far away.

It felt like I was losing her.

I walked back to the party a few moments later, hoping to find Charlie. I found him speaking to Jane still. He was beaming but she looked, I don't know, ashamed?

I knew that kiss should have never happened. It had hurt the people I cared about the most. I knew Jane felt the same way. Why the hell did I have to kiss her?

"It meant nothing," Jane told Charlie.

"Don't worry about it, I've heard it all from Will already," Charlie responded with a wave of his hand. "It's fine if you're, you know-it-it-you're, um..." he stuttered, blushing.

"Charlie," Jane said softly and took his hands in hers. This touch seemed to encourage Charlie to look into her eyes. "I don't want Will." This oddly seemed to surprise him. "_You_ are the only one I want."

"I, um, uh, what?"

Jane chuckled a little. "It's you, Charlie. It has always been you."

"But why-you-Will-why?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I don't like Will in that way, I like _you_."

"You-me-what-like-me-what?"

"Yes, Charlie, I like you," Jane laughed.

I smiled to myself. Charlie was finally getting the girl of his dream and I was happy for my friend.

I heard a quiet laughter somewhere close and I turned to that direction. I noticed Ben standing beside a large oak tree. She was smiling. She noticed me, and although her smile faded, it didn't leave. Was there hope?

Ben walked over to her sister, biting her lip nervously.

"Um, Jane?"

Jane turned to her twin. "Lizzy," she said, surprised.

"Will you forgive me?"

"What?" Jane asked, befuddled.

"I know I've been acting like a complete fool. I may not like what you did, but I shouldn't have reacted so harshly," Ben said, surprising us all. "I mean, I know you would never want to hurt me, and I _know_ you've been drooling over Charlie since we were little–"

"What?" interrupted Charlie.

Ben ignored him. "–so you'd never hurt him either. I also know that Will... that Will, um..." Ben looked awkwardly around herself. I was obviously not supposed to be listening to this part of the conversation but I was intrigued. "I love you, sis."

The twins quickly hugged, exchanging apologies and all seemed to be forgiven between them. I turned my eyes away from them and met Charlie's. He had a small smile playing on his lips. It was a mixture of happiness and awkwardness; basic Charlie. He walked a little closer to me, and I gulped. He reached out his hand, offering me a silent truce. I gladly accepted it. I could see in his eyes that I wasn't completely forgiven but I knew I was close when I saw his smile grow.

"The cake is about to be served," Ben said. She looked at me. "Would you help me get the plates, Will?"

Surprised wouldn't begin to describe how I felt.

"Um, uh, sure," I said. I walked with her to the house and into the kitchen. She fetched some plates from the cupboards and I'll admit, I was a bit sad that she actually wanted me to help her get plates. I, however, took one of the stacks she had put on the table and waited for her. She hadn't moved after she had closed the cupboard. "Ben?"

I heard her inhale deeply. Then she turned around and looked like she was going to speak. When her eyes met mine she seemed to have changed her mind. She quickly grabbed the other stack of dishes.

"Let's go," she said and walked out of the kitchen. She was walking pretty fast for someone who was holding stacks of fragile plates in her hands.

"Ben, are you alright?" I asked as soon as I caught up with her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she responded, scoffing like I had asked the dumbest question in the world.

She put her plates on the buffet table. When it was obvious to her that I wasn't going to stop staring at her to put mine down, she took them from me and did it herself. In the process she brushed her fingers against mine. That light, fleeting touch made me want her even more. When she turned to face me she was blushing and biting her lip.

"Thanks for the help," she said quietly, not daring to look in my eyes.

A while passed and I didn't respond, I simply stared at her. Then my manners and good upbringing kicked in and I said, "No problem."

"Lizzy!" said Jane, happily. She walked up to where we were standing. She took one look at her twin and her smile faded. She rubbed Ben's back comfortingly and whispered something. Ben mumbled something back. And thus started their quiet conversation. I slowly backed away from them, wanting to give them some space. I backed straight into Charlie.

"Oomph!" he exclaimed. When he realised who I was, he smiled. "Hey, Will." He took a long look at my face. "How's your nose?"

I brought my hand to touch said nose. "It's alright. A little sore but..."

He nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be," I said. "I deserved it."

"Yeah, you did," he said smiling. This made me chuckle. It also gave me hope that things might be alright in the end.

We carried on a conversation, a nice conversation. It wasn't forced, it was easy. Much like speaking to a friend, which is exactly what we still were. I had been forgiven, but I couldn't forgive myself. Not yet. I didn't blame Ben for being unsure. After all, how could she trust me after that kiss?

So I hadn't lost Charlie, and for that I was grateful. But Ben was slipping away.

...

Dessert was over and many party guests were leaving. Ben and Jane were busy hugging everyone and thanking them for coming; Charlie was playing with a group of five-year-olds; Mr. Bennet sat with a book in hand; Mrs. Bennet spoke to my mother; and Kitty and Georgie were half-asleep, leaning on the large oak tree. What was I doing? Staring at Ben, as I had been doing most of the night.

I hadn't noticed when all of the guests had cleared and the Bennet's were now cleaning up after the party. The only reason I finally did was because Ben walked over to the buffet. She had the remains of a smile on her face as she picked up a few things from the table.

"Will, we're leaving," said my mother. Dad and Georgie stood next to her. Georgie was leaning on Dad's shoulder, sleep written across her face. "Are you coming?"

"Um," I looked around and caught Ben's eyes, "no, I think I'll stay and help."

"Do you have your keys?"

"Yes," I replied.

Then they started walking home.

First I helped Mr. Bennet fold the tablecloths, then I took a few leftovers into the house. There I was greeted by a pleasantly surprised Mrs. Bennet.

"Will? You're still here," she said.

"Yeah, I thought I'd help out," I said. My eyes wandered to where Ben was putting plates and glasses in the dishwasher. A small smile was playing on her lips.

"Such a gentleman, you are," said Mrs. Bennet and winked.

I felt my face flush with heat. Mrs. Bennet the left the kitchen, most likely to get some more things. Now I was alone with Ben, and she was having a hard time keeping her laughter down.

"Oh, shut it," I said, teasingly.

She giggled.

Together we went outside and folded the chairs and tables. No words passed between us and none needed to. We were both smiling and simply enjoying each other's company.

When the backyard had been cleared of everything birthday party related, it was time for me to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet thanked me for the help while Ben stood by, biting her lip. After her parents had left, she stood still. I opened the door and got ready to leave. Then I turned back to her, ready to say something but whatever it was, it was silenced by her lips touching mine. It was a short kiss but that kiss held a promise. The smile she gave me before closing the door looked to hold even more. It gave me hope that maybe, just maybe _we _ could be something more.

* * *

><p><strong>I know you guys might not like the fact that Jane and Charlie forgave them so easily, but I'm a person that doesn't really hold a grudge so I hate it when people do. It was a mistake, everyone realises that and life is too short to hate each other over one thing that went wrong.<strong>

**Love and all that sentimental schmuck.**


	19. Mushy

**This chapter was written along with my lover, Kete. I'd like to thank her for being more romantic than me and therefore saving this chapter from too much weirdness. But considering that we are both kind of strange, the chapter isn't entirely without its weird moments. P.s. she say´s hi **

**Okay, so this chapter is, um, a bit on the dirty side. Nothing extreme (no sex), just some kissing... some _hot_ kissing. And naughty innuendos... But you've most likely been reading this story for a while now so you're probably used to those.**

Previously on Bittersweet: Will kisses Lizzy but she pushes him away and slaps him. Jane admits her feelings to Charlie, and he's all adorable about it. Lizzy forgives her sister and Will, and Charlie does the same. The night ends with a small peck, given by Lizzy to Will. Does this mean we will get a happy ending? Me thinks so.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 19 – Mushy<span>

EPOV

After I closed the door, I leaned against it, still smiling like a love-sick puppy. But I didn't care. I went over the day's events in my head. I had kissed him; I had kissed _Will._ If had felt amazing and yet I pushed him away. I'm still not sure why I had done that. I blushed as I recalled the slap. Something wonderful had happened, something that I had wished and dreamed for – and I ruined it by slapping Will! What the hell was wrong with me? Although the slap had been satisfying, and perhaps well-deserved, it was uncalled for. Maybe I was being selfish now, but I mainly regretted it because it interrupted that amazing kiss.

And that was some kiss!

I could still feel his arms around me, his lips on mine. His kisses were gentle and sweet, but his embrace had been protective, almost like he was afraid to lose me.

It had felt right, so why did I push him away? Why was I not with him now?

At that thought, I ran up to my room and went straight to the window. And there he stood by his own. It was as if he had been waiting for me to collect my thoughts.

"Hey," he said quietly. I had hardly heard him speak but I was watching his lips very closely. Those wonderful, soft lips.

"Hi," I said back, but no sound escaped my throat.

I could tell he was trying hard to keep his distance but I wanted nothing more than to be back in his arms. I gestured for him to come over. I saw relief wash over his face before he climbed to my room. Once he stood before me, I took a step closer, staring into those soulful brown eyes. "Hi," I said again. Then I slowly began to smile. He smiled as well as he stepped closer. He cupped my face and leaned in. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as he kissed me.

At first it was tentative but it quickly progressed from there. I opened my lips slightly and a small sigh escaped them as I felt his tongue enter my mouth. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. Soft, tender and at the same time passionate. I hesitantly began moving my tongue with his, experimenting and exploring this new sensation with him. He tasted like cinnamon.

I felt his hot breath clash with my own, his hands slowly moving around my waist, his fingers lightly grazing the top of my behind. I wrapped my arms around his neck, wanting him closer.

This felt fantastic.

He lifted me up and moved me towards the bed. There, he laid me down and continued kissing me soundly. Although his kisses were providing a great distraction, I knew this was going too fast.

"What are you doing?" I asked as soon as I broke the kiss.

He looked dumbfounded. "I just wanted to make this a bit more comfortable."

"Don't you think this is going kind of... fast?"

At first he didn't seem to get my meaning. Then his eyes widened as he came to understand me and started spluttering uncomfortably.

"I didn't mean–I swear I–"

He blushed beet red and closed his eyes in embarrassment. I laughed at the adorable look on his face.

I stroked his cheek and said, "It's fine. I know you wouldn't rush–"

"I swear that wasn't my intention. I was just –"

I pulled his head closer and silenced him with a kiss. He quickly gave in and his lips melded once again with mine. I could feel the warmth his body was emanating. I pulled him down to rest on top of me, still kissing him soundly. We continued in this wonderful fashion for a few more moments until he groaned and removed himself from my embrace. He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, taking one of my pillows with him. He placed the pillow on his lap and ran his fingers through his hair. I blushed and suddenly felt very on display from my position on the bed. I sat up as well and started chewing on my lip. I looked at him but he stared at the floor. For some unknown reason my eyes kept wandering to his lap, which, consequentially, deepened my blush.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

"For what?"

"For... you know... _that_,"

"Don't be," I said. "It's not like you were, um, alone. I mean, I'm not _completely_ unaffected."

"Um... what? You're...?" he stammered.

I said nothing in reply, I simply smiled. It was somewhat awkward but a smile none the less.

We remained silent for a few more moments until he spoke, "Well, I should probably go." He stood up, having had some time to, um, recover.

I stood up as well. "Good night, then," I said. I desperately wanted to kiss him goodbye but after what had just transpired I wasn't sure how he would react to that.

He looked at me and I felt strange under his scrutiny, but I couldn't look away. Then he slowly leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss. It was only a peck but it stirred some feelings in my stomach.

"Sweet dreams, Ben," he said huskily.

With that, he was gone out the window.

I couldn't get rid of the silly smile I had on my face. I was still smiling as I brushed my teeth, very attractive, I know.

"What are you so happy about?" Jane asked as she entered my room that night. She was beaming.

I climbed into my bed and patted the empty space beside me. She sat on the bed, begging with her eyes for me to speak.

"I kissed Will Darcy," I (this is hard to admit) squealed. "And I didn't even hit him this time!"

"That's progress!"

"I know! I'm so proud of myself."

She giggled.

I continued to smile, squeal, giggle and all those girly things. I grabbed my pillow to hide my face because I knew I was blushing furiously.

"You really like him, don't you Lizzy?"

I removed the pillow, smile still in place and nodded.

"Look at me! I'm getting all mushy and romantic... I'm turning into you," I teased and feigned horror.

Jane took the pillow from me and hit me in the head with it.

"Shut it," she said, laughing.

"Speaking of mushy romance, how's Charlie?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. This caused her to hit me again with the pillow.

"Well, if you must know, we have a date tomorrow."

"Really?" I asked, excited. She nodded her head. "I'm so happy for you!"

We spoke for a little while longer until Jane thought she had over-stayed her stay. When she was getting ready to leave I grabbed her arm.

"Stay," I said. "We can have a sleepover or something."

She smiled, perhaps relieved that all really was forgiven now, and agreed.

I ended up telling her about everything that had transpired between Will and me that night. _Everything_.

"You're joking!" was the first thing to come out of her mouth after I had finished my little tale. I shook my head, blushing slightly. "Really? You're being serious?" I nodded my head, chuckling. "I'll never be able to look him in the eye again!"

"Come on, Jane," I said. "Don't be a prude."

"Dude," she scoffed. "I'm _your_ sister. I never got a chance to be one."

"What are you insinuating?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

"That you are a dirty minded, old pervert."

"Hey!" I pretended to be affronted. "You're older."

"Only by a minute."

I shook my head at her, looking down to hide my smile.

"But is it really that big of a deal?" I asked rhetorically. "I mean... he was just a little turned on, right?"

"I think he was a bit more than _a little _turned on," she laughed.

I blushed furiously and could hardly contain a smile. "Well, you're practically dating a guy that gets a boner if a girl simply looks at him!"

Jane pursed her lips. "That's really not fair, Lizzy," she admonished but then a smile slowly escaped her lips. "It's probably the other way around," she said and laughed at herself.

At first I didn't get it, but when I did, a strange sound erupted from my throat. It was a mixture of a laugh, a snort and a squeal.

We spent the whole night talking until we couldn't keep our eyes open. I was glad everything between us had gone back to normal. It was really as if nothing had ever happened between Jane and Will. Or maybe I simply didn't care anymore because I knew the truth. Jane's heart was with Charlie, and Will's heart... I supposed it belonged to me.

...

Jane and I woke up the next around noon. After breakfast, which consisted of leftover cake, we went outside. We sat on the porch swing and talked. After a while Will walked over to our yard.

"Look who has aroused," whispered Jane cheekily.

I ignored her innuendo.

I wanted to speak to Will but I couldn't say a word. I just smiled shyly at him. He was looking at me with a smile of his own.

"Hey, Will," said Jane when she realised that neither one of us was going to start talking. "You're up."

I kicked her smoothly in the shin (and when I say smoothly, I mean not). Will seemed to have noticed Jane for the first time that day.

"Um, yeah," he mumbled.

I thanked the Lord that he hadn't seemed to notice Jane's innuendo. She was doing her best to hide a smirk, but her best wasn't good enough.

"It's nice to see you," she said sweetly, "fully awake and erect."

I gave Jane 'the look' but she ignored me.

Will seemed taken aback by her words and mumbled a reply. He didn't seem to comprehend what lay behind Jane's teasing. This surprised me somewhat. Maybe he wasn't fully _up_ yet. This thought made me giggle.

"It must have been _really hard_ to wake up after such a _strenuous_ day," Jane said.

I face palmed myself, blushing and laughing into my hand.

It seemed to dawn on Will what my evil twin was _up_ to.

"You told her?" He said it more like a statement than a question. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. I didn't reply, I just laughed. "I can't believe you told her," he said, but after a thought, he added, "No, actually I can."

Jane was laughing so hard that she was crying.

"I'm sorry," I said to Will, finally finding my voice. "She tortured it out of me!"

He snorted a laughter.

"It's really not such a _big deal_, Will," Jane said after composing herself. "I mean, this can't be _that hard_ to grasp." With that said, she starting laughing again.

One part of me wanted to strangle her, the other wanted to join in on her teasing.

"Okay, okay," Jane said, drying her tears. "I've _finished_." She managed to keep a straight face for a second or two before bursting out with a laughter.

"Right," Will said, stolid, "right." He paused for a moment. "Elizabeth Daenerys, may I speak to you for a moment?"

_Oh, God, _I thought, _he's angry._

Any thoughts of laughing or teasing disappeared from my mind. I followed him to the backyard, a little scared to be honest. I had lived most of my life with Will mad at me, and I didn't want to go back to that. Especially not after the previous evening.

He turned to me when we had arrived at the big oak tree. I had always been particularly fond of that tree. Mainly because it had been a great place to spy on Will, and quite possibly to throw things at him or shoot various berries at him. Oh, they joys of being a child.

I prepared myself to talk, to apologise but I was interrupted when his lips descended on mine. I was surprised at first but responded very quickly. His hands moved to my waist as my fingers combed through his hair. His tongue probed my mouth, exploring every inch of it. I moaned into his mouth at the wonderful feelings he was creating. This seemed to make him realise that we were in fact in my backyard; a place where we could easily be spotted by curious family members.

"Good morning, Ben," he said and flashed me a brilliant smile.

"Hi," I croaked. I was still feeling a bit light-headed after that amazing kiss.

He gave me a short peck before releasing me from his embrace.

"Now that I've had my proper hello, what the hell?" he asked. I bit my lip to keep me from smiling. "It's awkward enough that it happened, but did you really need to tell your sister?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "It's just that, well, we share everything so..."

"You don't get to share with her stories about me and my... parts!"

I couldn't suppress the laughter that bubbled up in my throat.

"Bennie," he said, annoyed.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "Don't worry about Jane. I think she was just trying to get a rise out of you."

Will pursed his lips, obviously not amused with my own innuendo.

"Sorry," I whispered and looked down to hide my smile.

He lifted my chin with his finger, forcing me to look into his eyes. They were filled with mirth.

"I know I should be angry but I'm just too damn happy," he said and released a smile. "After all this time, you're finally mine."

"That rhymed! You're so poetic."

"I know, right?"

"No wonder I fell for you," I said.

He pulled me close and said huskily, "You fell for me?"

I said nothing. I simply got up on my toes and kissed him soundly. I didn't even care if we had an audience or not. I just liked being with him; in his arms; kissing him. After a while he pulled away. He was smiling slightly.

"Is that your answer?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes and kissed him again. Mainly to shut him up and wipe that grin off his face.

"So what do we do now?" he asked, after pulling away again. It was evident on the look on my face that I had no idea what he was talking about. "Now that we're finally together, what are we supposed to do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you should give you some mushy nickname."

"Such as?"

"Munchkin," I suggested.

"I've always thought of myself more of a Cootchy Coo," he said thoughtfully.

"Ugh, fine then," I said, rolling my eyes with a smile.

"And you're Buttercup."

"What? Gross. No," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Yes, you are! Bennie the Buttercup."

"It sounds so dirty."

"Well, if the shoe fits..." he teased.

I slapped his chest, barely concealing a smile. He laughed and put his arms around me, kissing me sweetly.

* * *

><p><strong>See? I can be nice, loving, creepy fluffy, romantic and all that crap.<strong>

**Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! :D**

**Oh, and my tumblah blog thingy: authoreyja (dot) tumblr (dot) com**

**I need your follows and lovin'. I'm not as lucky as Will and Lizzy... I haz nobody to love *cries***

**Throughout the chapter I was going like: if you know what I mean *wiggle wiggle***

**Peace out, my darlings.**


	20. Leaving

**OH MY GOD, DUDES! YOU'VE GIVEN ME 250 REVIEWS! I love each and every one of you so very dearly. I honestly don't deserve you guys. You're all sweet while I make lousy promises I can't keep (those who actually read my tumblr might have an idea to what I'm referring). But no more! I'm pulling myself together to become all the awesomeness I can be!**

**I wrote this with my sweet butt, Kete. Thankfully, our Social Studies teacher didn't catch us... well, not _this_ time anyway. There was however an incident a few months ago... but I won't get into that...**

Previously on Bittersweet: Oh, crap... not even _I_ remember what happened last time... WAIT! *light bulb turns on*THERE WAS KISSING! YES! And a boner and some puns. I love puns!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 20 – Leaving<span>

WPOV

"Tom! Come to the window, right now!" yelled Mrs. Bennet from inside her house.

Ben and I broke apart from our kiss, smiling, but I didn't let her out of my embrace. I couldn't.

"I think we just got saved from telling our parents," Ben commented, making me chuckle lightly.

"There's still _my_ family," I said.

She could barely conceal a smile as she said, "Want to make out in your backyard?"

I raised one eyebrow and couldn't contain a smile of my own. "Now there's a thought," I said. She hit me playfully on the shoulder. With a grin, I asked, "Is that a no?"

"No, I was just worried about what kind of an example you'd be setting for Georgie."

I snorted. "If anything, she'll cheer us on," I replied with a roll of my eyes. She laughed and held me tighter. "And if you don't mind your parents staring, then neither do I," I said and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I _do_ mind our parents watching," she said. "They'll be so damn smug!"

"True." I smiled. "Does that mean you wish to go someplace else?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Again with the bed, eh Darcy?"

I frowned and immediately stopped caressing her. "It was not… what I meant… I…" I stuttered.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Will, you can be so adorable at times."

It took me a moment to realize she had been teasing me. I couldn't resist a tease myself. "Pfuh, I'm always adorable," I said.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I pinched her side playfully and she responded by sticking out her tongue. It didn't take me long to find that tongue of hers something else to do.

"Get a room!" came Georgie's voice from my backyard.

I reluctantly pulled away from Ben to look at my sister. She had a huge, smug smile on her face.

"I've been suggesting that all day!" I said.

Georgie's smile faded and she screwed up her face. "Ugh, that's gross! Don't tell me that!"

I both heard and felt Ben laugh. She was that close.

"I should punish you for saying that," Ben said.

"Please do," I said, wiggling my eyebrows. This sent her into another fit of laughter.

Georgie shook her head with a frown. "Gross, gross… just… gross."

"Nobody asked you to listen, or watch," I said. "Leave."

"That's no way to treat your baby sister," Georgie replied. "Love me, bro. Love me! I'm leaving tomorrow so you better treat me nicely."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Please do us the kindness and scram."

"Pft," she said but complied with a smile.

When I looked down at Ben I noticed the melancholy expression on her face. I lifted her chin up with my index finger and searched her eyes.

"I didn't know she was leaving," she said.

"Yeah, she only meant to stay a while. I think she misses her friends," I said.

Ben looked down and muttered, "Oh."

I felt an overwhelming need to comfort her so I held her even tighter.

"She leaves at four AM tomorrow," I whispered in her hair. "Would you like me to call you so you can say goodbye?" She looked up at me and I continued, "You could come with us to the airport." After a thought I added, "If you'll be able to wake up, that is." This made her smile. I stroked her cheek affectionately, touching her full lips with the tip of my finger.

"I would love that. If your family doesn't mind."

"Are you kidding? They'll be thrilled."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't mind me going with you at four in the morning, all grumpy, gross and all that?"

I feigned surprise. "You mean you can be grumpier than usual?" I was rewarded for this with a light slap on the shoulder and an adorable pout. "I'm sure I won't mind," I said with a smile and kissed her tenderly.

"I should get back before Jane thinks you've killed me," Ben said after pulling away.

"I'm pretty sure she knows you're alive, given Georgie's squealing," I said, but released her.

I gave her one parting kiss.

I knew it was ridiculous to miss her touch immediately but I did.

"Can I see you tonight?" I asked. Ben thankfully nodded yes.

She took my hand and we walked back to Jane, who was waiting for Ben on the patio steps. Once she settled next to her sister, I walked over to my own house, very much looking forward to the evening.

When I opened the front door I was greeted by my parents and sister. Mom looked smug and smile knowingly, while Dad smiled warmly. Georgie was beaming and I was surprised she wasn't jumping up and down with excitement.

"Anything you care to share, son?" Dad asked.

I fought hard to contain a smile but lost. Mom made a high-pitched sound, sounding kind of like Georgie, and hugged me. The hug cut off most of my oxygen supply.

"Mom," I barely managed to croak, "No oxygen... can't... breathe."

She released me and turned to Dad with a proud expression. "Didn't I tell you, George?"

"You most certainly did, love," Dad replied. He turned to Georgie. "I suppose this means I owe you twenty dollars."

This wiped off the smile on my face. "You bet on this?" I asked, looking between the two.

"Don't be such a sourpuss," Georgie said. "We've also often bet on whether Lizzy would beat you up or not."

"Yes, you've cost me a lot of money," said Dad with a smile.

...

I called Ben shortly after two AM. She mumbled something into the phone that sounded like: "Five more minutes". Laughter bubbled up in my throat.

"Wakey wakey, little Bennie," I said.

"I don't wanna," she groaned.

"Come on, you promised."

She mumbled something incoherent before hanging up. I went to my window to see if she was getting up, and she was. She was wearing a tank top and underwear. My jaw dropped and I couldn't help but stare. When she prepared herself to remove the little she was wearing, I forced myself to turn away. Now was no time to see her naked. And absolutely not time for thinking about it. I could not, however, help how my body reacted towards what I had seen. I tried to quell it but my thoughts were not helping. _No, Will,_ I told myself, _Now is not the time._

After clearing my mind I left my room to join my family in the living room. Mom and Dad were sitting together on the sofa. Dad's arm was around her shoulders. On his other side sat Georgie. She leaned into him with a hint of sadness on her face. Her bags waited by the front door. It seemed to hit me for the first time that she was leaving. She was still here but I was starting to miss her. My baby sister. I worried about her in Italy, though I knew she was safe with our grandparents. It just sucked that I couldn't be around to protect her.

"What's with the long face?" Georgie startled me from my thoughts. She frowned. "Lizzy's still coming, right?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered. "I believe so, yes."

The doorbell rang, signalling Ben's arrival. Georgie squealed and smiled brightly. She got up from her position on the sofa and went to answer the door. I followed suit. She opened the door to reveal a very tired looking Ben. She wore baggy clothes, her hair was uncombed and she wore the biggest frown I had ever seen. But she was beautiful.

We welcomed her in. I leaned down to give her a chaste kiss. She hardly responded to it. This surprised me and I was hurt. I immediately started overanalyzing things; she had always been so responsive. What had changed?

I mentally slapped myself on the forehead; it was morning, and she was _not_ a morning person.

"Why did I agree to this?" she wondered aloud.

"Because you couldn't resist my charms," I answered with a smile.

She scoffed. "Right... _that'_s the reason."

I pinched her side playfully. This elicited a smile.

We gathered Georgie's bags and set forth to the airport. During the ride, Georgie managed to get Ben to talk, and even laugh. About fifteen minutes into the drive, I felt Bent's hand on my knee. The touch surprised me somewhat. I covered her hand with my own and gave it a squeeze. She looked up and smiled. I leaned down to kiss her and this time she responded, perhaps too reverently given that my parents were in front of us and my sister was next to her. She seemed to realise this as well. She pulled away, blushing becomingly.

We arrived at the airport and checked in Georgie's bags. We all walked with her to the security check. This was it. Georgie turned around and gave us a sad smile. She hugged Mum and Dad tightly. Mom's eyes started watering almost immediately.

"Aw, Mom," said Georgie, "don't cry. You'll make me cry."

"I'm sorry." Mom sniffled.

Georgie smiled to her and the turned to hug Ben. They whispered something to each other and giggled as they pulled out from their embrace. I got a feeling they might have been talking about me.

Georgie then turned to me and I gave her a quick smile. She hugged me tightly.

"You have to write tom me," she said. "Promise?"

I smiled and stroked her back comfortingly. "I promise."

"You better be good to Lizzy, too," she said then and looked over at Ben.

I chuckled a bit and followed her eyes. "Aren't I always?"

She hugged me again, a little tighter this time. "I'll miss you, big brother."

I smiled wistfully. "Goodbye Georgie."

She let me go and gave our parents a final, slightly sad, smile before walking forward. When she was half-way there, she turned around. I gave her my best smile and waved. Georgie smiled as well before disappearing behind a wall.

Mom broke down in sobs. Dad put his arm around her and led her way. My eyes were still plastered on the spot where Georgie had just been.

Ben walked up to me and touched my arm. "Will?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

I turned to look at her. Worry filled her beautiful eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied. "I'll just miss her, that's all."

Ben nodded. "She'll be back before you know it. She grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze before leading me to my parents' direction. They were now sitting in the waiting stools. Dad had his arm over Mom's shoulder. She was sobbing into a handkerchief while he tried to soothe her.

"Let's give them a moment," I said and turned us around. We walked towards a coffee shop, still holding hands. I heard her stomach growl as we looked at the pastries. I chuckled as she lay a hand over her stomach, blushing. "You didn't have time for breakfast, did you?"

We ordered one of the available subs and shared it. We chatted and ate for a while until Mom and Dad joined us. Mom's eyes were red-rimmed, and Dad also looked like he had shed a few tears. Mom smiled when she was us, her eyes fixated on our joined hands.

"Ready to go?" she asked us.

Ben and I nodded yes and stood up from our seats. I immediately took Ben's hand once more, needing to assure myself that she was still there.

Ben fell asleep on my shoulder during the ride home. I wouldn't have minded her resting there forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, that ending was corny... I'm embarrassed... I can't believe I wrote that crap *shudders*. But this story needs some sentimentality. It <em>is<em> a romance, after all.**

**Forgive me for any mistakes. Please point them out to me and I'll fix them.**

**I'm on vacation now so I might, _might_, possibly, though it's not assured, write something and post soon. But I won't promise anything. I have to study for my finals and finish the Hunger Games series! EEEEEPPPPP!**

**Next up: Charlotte comes back! Wonder what she will say about this situation...**

**Remember to review!**

**And also, visit my Tumblah: authoreyja (dot) tumblr (doody) com**

**I don't know why I'm laughing over that. I guess I'm just so mature.**

**Peace out, my darlings! **


	21. Yogurt

**The hills are alive to the sound of... crickets.**

**I am so, so, so, _so_, so incredibly sorry. I know I haven't updated for over a month (this fact shocked me. I'm so ashamed) but I have plenty of excuses! **

**Example one: School is a douchebag that suddenly decides to throw on me mountains of homework. Example two: Said douchebag of a school also throws final exams into my face. **

**So really, it's not my fault.**

**But fear no more, my lovelies. The weather gods have made it clear to me that they want me to stay inside and write.**

**It's not a really long chapter, but hey, it's something.**

**So, without further ado, here's the latest instalment.**

Previously on Bittersweet: (I recommend you read the past few chapters, that's what I had to do) Will and Lizzy's families finally find out about their relationship. All are happy, particularly Georgie (I think she's a perv within). Anyways, Georgie goes back to Italy, everybody cries and eat subs and Will doesn't mind having Lizzy sleep on his shoulder for the rest of their lives (If you know what I mean *wiggles eyebrows*)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 21 – Yogurt<span>

EPOV

"I'm back, baby!" Charlotte exclaimed as she threw her bags down. "Give me some love!"

Charlotte and I ran across the parking lot, towards each other in slow motion. When we finally got close, we hugged, jumped up and down, squealing and yelling out how deep our love was for each other, and how much we missed each other.

I helped her put her bags in her father's car. Then Mr. Lucas took the wheel and we were on our way home.

Charlotte and I used the car ride to talk about everything that had transpired while she had been away. She told me about everything she went to see in Spain, how beautiful it was, and not to mention the shirtless, tan, Spanish boys she had met. She herself had also picked up some tan during her stay there. Not that I was jealous or anything. Nope. I'm not jealous that she gets tan easily, while I either burn or get freckles. When I complained once, Will said he had liked my freckles.

Will.

I had yet to tell Charlotte about Will.

Shit.

After finishing her tale about the sexy Roberto she had drooled over the entire trip, she asked me what news I had from home. When I looked up, I saw Mr. Lucas with a knowing expression and a smug smile.

Parents.

I attempted to tell Charlotte about my summer, and that including Will. I told her everything. I told her about his kiss with Jane. She gasped at that with a scandalised expression. I assured her I didn't care anymore. But I did confide in her that I had been angry for some time.

"He wasn't mine, so I had no reason to be jealous," I explained.

A smile slowly crept on Charlotte's lips.

Shit.

"Did I sense past-tense?" she asked, her smile annoyingly smug.

"...maybe," I replied, pursing my lips.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. And then she started squealing. Poor Mr. Lucas lost control of the car for a few seconds.

"Calm down, Char," I said. "You're worse than Georgie."

"I'm sorry," she said, pretending to wipe tears under her eyes. "It's just... my little baby... got herself a man." She sniffled. "My baby's growing up."

I rolled my eyes with a smile. "You're _so_ ridiculous."

"But you love me."

"True."

...

After spending the day with Charlotte, catching up and being our weird selves, I got a phone call from Will. He wanted to take me out for a movie, as a date of sorts. He didn't seem to think we did enough of that. You know, like normal couples apparently do.

We fought over the tickets. He insisted to pay, but it didn't feel right to me. He called me silly and I called him something else. To make a long argument short, I paid my own ticket. My victory was short-lived, though. He wanted to pay for my popcorn and soda too. How did I end up with such a gentleman?

After he had won that argument and paid for my stupid popcorn, we searched for seats. We scanned the room and found two empty seats somewhere in the middle. We sat down and talked for a short while until the lights dimmed and the movie started. Ten minutes into the movie, he put his arm around my shoulders. I smiled to myself and made a joke about the cliché of it.

"Hey," he said, feigning affront. "I didn't yawn, so it's not really a 'cliché'," he air quoted with the hand that was around me.

I rolled my eyes before leaning into him. It was harder than I thought because of the cup holder between us. I cursed it in my thoughts, but Will seemed to read my mind.

"Shh, Bennie," he said. "It's not the cup holder's fault that he's in the way of your perverted ways**."**

I pursed my lips and slapped him lightly on the knee. He screwed up his face, pretending I had inflicted actual pain on him. I kissed him tenderly on the lips and he seemed to forget his pain. After this, we continued to watch the movie. Well, he did. I just stared ahead and let my mind reel. Usually, I would be thinking about my annoying, I mean, darling younger sister, a book I had recently read, ice-cream or the hot guy that was starring in the movie. But now, all I could focus on was Will's hand so close to my breast. It didn't seem to me like he was actually reaching to touch it, he just had long hands. But it was there, and I was acutely aware of it.

"Are you alright?" he whispered suddenly, his breath on my face. I shuddered delightfully.

"I'm great," I replied and attempted to lean into him again. "Damn cup holder."

He chuckled.

"Are you trying to hit on me, Ben?"

"Yes."

I was awarded with a kiss. The type of kiss you usually don't bestow on anyone in a room filled with strangers.

Somebody threw popcorn at us to break us apart. He smiled down at me when we did. I couldn't help but to smile back. His full dimpled smile is so hard to resist. He moved a strand of hair from my face, looking between my eyes and my lips. Then he suddenly frowned and moved a little away from me. This surprised and disappointed me.

For the rest of the movie, he stayed away. When we walked home from the movie theatre, I grabbed his hand tightly. He didn't try to take his hand out of mine but his jaw remained tense and he was silent until we reached my doorstep. There, he mumbled "Goodnight" and gave me a kiss on the cheek before quickly turning away and walking to his house.

My head couldn't wrap itself around what had just happened. It had been going so well. What had gone wrong?

...

"Wait..." Charlotte began with a confused expression, "so he just left?"

I nodded my head.

I had just finished telling her what had happened the previous night. She didn't understand it any better than I did.

We were currently sitting on the floor in her room, clothes scattered around us. I was helping her reorganise her closet with her new clothes. That is, finding something of hers I could borrow.

"But I thought you guys were doing good."

"I thought so too, but apparently he doesn't think so," I said. I picked up a Juicy tank top and held it up to inspect. "Can I borrow this?"

She looked it over. "Sure."

I then moved back to the subject. "I'm thinking about calling him tonight to see what the hell is going on, but honestly, I'm a little scared to."

"Why?"

"I don't like rejection," I said truthfully. "I don't think I could handle it. Especially from him. I know that may be strange coming from me because, yeah, I'm guilty of rejecting him, but I regret that. I wish we had come to an understanding much sooner. Then this whole thing hadn't happened and... I don't know."

"What whole thing?" Charlotte asked. "With him and Jane?"

"No," I answered quickly. Too quickly for her liking. I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't quite believe me. "No," I said again, calmly this time. "Yes... maybe... I don't know. I don't care that they kissed, it doesn't matter. Jane is happily dating Charlie, and I'm... well, I was happily dating Will. Now I'm... complicatedly dating him."

This elicited a smile from the both of us.

...

Later that night I walked around my room, my phone in hand, debating whether or not I should call him. I wondered why _I_ should call _him. _After all, he was the one who had to go and make it complicated. I found myself starting to get a bit angry at him. Why couldn't he just be normal? Why couldn't he just be like Kitty and always speak his mind?

I stopped pacing. Did I really just wish for my boyfriend to be more like my sister? What was wrong with me?

I suddenly noticed a shadow by the window. I normally would have been frightened but this was a silhouette I knew.

"Will," I barely whispered.

He walked closer and reached out for my hand. Despite my initial anger, I stepped closer to him.

"Let's sit down," he said quietly.

We took our seats on my bed and simply sat there for a while. Kitty was blasting music in her room and for a moment I was thankful. Her music filled in the silence between Will and me. But I wasn't thankful for much more than a short moment. Kitty's music taste was a lot different than mine so after a moment of listening to her wail along, I would have preferred to listen to the sounds of crickets and frogs.

Will was completely silent. He seemed content only holding my hand. He clasped it tight a few times and I could feel that his palms were sweaty. He was obviously very nervous. But why?

I mentally went over everything that had transpired between us and started panicking. Panicking that he was going to dump me for something I had done wrong. But I had no clue what I had done wrong. Well, at least not recently.

So, there we sat. He was clasping my hand with his sweaty one, while I pondered. Then I realised I was probably overreacting and forced myself to stop thinking. Instead I started beating myself up for thinking the way I had.

"Stupid arse," I accidentally muttered under my breath.

"What?" Will asked. He looked surprised, as if he had forgotten I was there.

"Nothing," I said, embarrassed.

Silence surrounded us again. I stared at our joined hands and tried to block out Kitty's horrid music.

"Elizabeth," Will said suddenly. I looked up from our hands to his face. He looked serious, searching my eyes. He took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked, wanting to chew on my lips but deciding against it. He always seemed to know I was nervous when I did that. And he seemed nervous enough for the both of us.

"I know we only just started dating but we've known each other for a _long_ time so I think it's okay since we... since we know each other."

I blinked. I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow.

"Um... okay..."

"And I know you've hated me most of the years we've known each other but... the thing is... it's... you see... I..."

"Spit it out, Will," I said impatiently.

"I... I love..." he faltered, "this song." He paused for a moment. He almost looked seriously pensive as he asked, "What's this song called again?"

"I don't know," I replied, not really understanding anything.

"Who sings it? She's really good."

"Um, Justin Bieber is a 'he'," I said.

"Oh... right..." he said awkwardly.

"Will... what is it? You're not acting like yourself. Please tell me what's up."

He took another deep breath. "I just... I love... I love yo-" he paused for a torturously long time, "yogurt," he finally finished. "I love yogurt. Can't get enough of it. It's so good. I just... I just love it so much."

"Um... that's great," I said. "I have some yogurt in my fridge. Should I get it and leave you and the yogurt alone for some 'quality time'?" I air quoted with my best pervy looking smile.

He fought a smile. "That's not what I meant to say."

"I know," I said. "And just so you know, I love yogurt too."

* * *

><p><strong>Aww... now isn't that a romantic ending? Just for now, of course. The real end will most likely happen in the next chapter. I'm thinking about ending it big, and ending it in Will's point of view. What do you guys think?<strong>

**Don't forget to click that lovely review button. I see it got a makeover. **


	22. Last

***sigh* I know, I know. Late again. I just... I never felt like this chapter was good enough for publishing. I felt like I needed to end it big and epically, and I still think that, but I didn't think I managed to do that. You guys have been awesome so you deserve an awesome finish.**

**Bleh... I'll let you be the judge of how this is.**

**So, this chapter is an epilogue of sorts from Will's point of view. He talks briefly about the most important occasions of their lives. Don't be shocked that it runs swiftly through their years together. **

**I hope you gave you perverts enough p0rn to base your dreams on. **

Previously on Bittersweet: Charlotte came back and Lizzy told her everything about Will and herself. Will realises he's in love with his Ben so he acts distant, but not to worry, it's all good. In the end, the confess their mutual love of yogurt.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 22 – Last<span>

WPOV

"Alright baby! Let's get nakeeeeeeed!"

Ben stood by her bed with a silly grin on her face. She was wearing a floral summer dress that I couldn't wait to remove off her beautiful body. She eyed my shirtless one with an appreciative smile.

"Elizabeth, please stop saying things like that when I'm trying to love you up."

"Fitzwilliam, please do not call me by that name when I'm trying to seduce you," Ben matched my tone of voice. "You sound like my parents. And I don't want to think about my parents when we're doing things like this."

A realisation dawned on me. "Oh shit!" I exclaimed and covered my mouth with my hand. "Your parents will kill me."

Ben rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a drama queen. They'll probably just cut off your 'little Willy'."

I narrowed my eyes. "Please don't call my penis that if you want to get into my pants."

"Take 'em off, baby!"

I still held up my pants, worried about what would happen if they would finally be dropped. "Sometimes I wonder why I love you."

"It's too late to turn back now, babe. Show me your little one."

"Elizabeth!"

This conversation about my penis continued for a while. When she finally agreed to stop calling it things like wiener, princess, love tool, magic sword and smurf, I removed my pants and my boxers shortly followed. She looked me over appreciatively and I felt a mixture of pride and embarrassment. My embarrassment went to a whole different level when she started giggling.

"What on earth can be so funny when I'm standing naked in front of you?"

She continued to giggle and I noticed she was blushing quite furiously. "You have a penis."

"Really?" I said sarcastically. "I did not know that. It's not like it has been stuck on me for nineteen years. This realisation really comes as a shock to me."

I walked closer to her and started undressing her. She was blushing demurelybut allowed me to remove her clothes. It was not the first time I had seen her naked, but that night was different. That night we made love for the very first time.

Our clothes were scattered on the floor and she lay on the bed, completely naked. _God, she's beautiful. _I crawled on top of her and rested between her thighs. I stroked her face softly and kissed her lightly on the lips. I could tell she was nervous, as was I. I kissed her a little more passionately and she seemed to calm down a little. "I love you," I whispered close to her ear. She shivered and moaned as I kissed her neck.

As I moved a little further down, I heard her moan, "Love you."

I smiled against her skin and continued with my explorations.

...

When we had reached the age of 21, I decided it was time for us to take the next step in our relationship. I knew we were very young and it might be a little early for that, but I knew that Ben was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

"You're proposing?" Charlie asked.

"Yup," I said, excited. I couldn't stop smiling, I was too happy.

"Dude, that's great," Charlie said with a large smile. "I'm so happy for you, man. Have you decided when you're going to do it?"

"No. I'll just do it whenever the time is right." I looked at my best friend and couldn't contain another smile. "You'll help me, won't you? Pick out a ring?"

"Of course," he responded with a larger smile than before, if possible. "But only if you help me pick one for Jane."

He too had been thinking about proposing but claimed not to have had the guts. Not until I approached him. I was glad I did. There was no one else I would rather go jewellery shopping with than him. So, we went together to pick out the rings, smiling like idiots and wanting to scream out from excitement. We both realised that we were acting like two teenage girls for prom but we didn't care. We were proposing to the women we loved.

We decided on an evening and made plans for it to be perfect. We made the girls dinner at our separate homes, opened a bottle of champagne, lit some candles and trailed the way to our beds with rose petals.

We thought of everything and our plan seemed perfect. But (and this is a big 'but') we forgot to think of how to actually pop the question, and how the girls might react to our sudden turn into romantics.

Jane, for one, loved it. She was surprised, but she loved being pampered by Charlie like that.

But unfortunately, Charlie's nervous nature got a hold of him and he ended up drinking a lot more than he should have. A whole lot more.

"Baabyy," he slurred, "we've been (hic) together for the long(hic)est time. I think (hic) it's time we took our relation(hic) to the next level."

"Charlie, I think you should go to bed," Jane said and tried to help him get there.

"I would love to take you (hic) to bed," he said and gave her a strange smile, which I think he considered sexy at the time. He now looks back at it with abhorrence.

Jane helped him into bed and covered him with the duvet.

"Goodnight, Charlie," she said and kissed his nose.

"Marry me, Janie," Charlie said right before he fell into a deep slumber.

Charlie facepalmed himself every day after that. He was so embarrassed and didn't dare to try again for almost a week. I forced him to try without the alcohol. He complied and shortly after that they were engaged.

I don't know exactly how he delivered the second proposal. He said something about a washing machine and not doing the laundry while wiggling his eyebrows. I stopped listening then.

Ben and I had a different story. As I stated before, I had planned for everything to be special and romantic. But with Ben, romance can be hard. I knew from the start that she wasn't the romantic type, but honestly. When a guy makes you a meal at his home, wearing a suit, lights candles and puts rose peddles on the bed, wouldn't you find it romantic?

Not Ben. She liked the meal, and she loved the suit – this she demonstrated to me quite amply afterwards. The candles were a problem since fire freaks her out – this I had completely forgotten – and there was nothing more corny to her than rose petals.

So, obviously, things didn't go as I planned.

Everything I did that night seemed to freak her out or annoy her in some way. So, we ended up having a small argument. After assuring her that I wasn't dying or breaking up with her, I explained myself.

"I just wanted to make tonight special," I said.

"Why? Is it our anniversary, or something?"

I sighed, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers.

It came as no surprise to me that she didn't remember when our anniversary was, but it shocked me how clueless she was. I couldn't believe that a smart woman like her couldn't see why I was going out of my way to make this evening special.

Even though the moment didn't feel as right as earlier that evening, I got down on one knee.

She gasped and backed up a little. "What are you doing?"

I crawled (yes, I crawled. No laughing is allowed!) the small distance to her and took her hands in mine. I looked into those beautiful green eyes of hers and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Tears started forming in said beautiful green eyes. She didn't seem to be able to reply, but the nodding of her head sufficed.

Three years later, we were married. We were in no real hurry to 'get hitched'. We were young and fresh out of university when we finally said our wows.

Charlie was, of course, the best man at our wedding. He tried keeping me nerved but he wasn't all that calm himself. He was shaking and his palms were sweaty.

"Why on earth are you nervous?" I exclaimed as he used his shaky fingers to fix my tie. "You're not the one who's getting married today."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," he said. "I think it's just... You're my best friend, and I love you. And you're getting married, for God's sake. It's an important moment of your life, and it's important to me too."

"Leave it to you to get sentimental right before I take my wows," I said smiling. "Stop it now," I said and slapped his chest playfully, "I might ruin my make up."

He chuckled and managed to calm down enough not to fidget while he stood next to me as Ben walked down the aisle. She looked beautiful in her white, full length wedding gown. It was gorgeous. _She_ was gorgeous. I know I probably should have paid more attention to her dress, but all I could see was her beautiful face. And, as she moved closer, her beautiful green eyes. She mouthed, "I love you," when our hands touched. I whispered the same as we walked together towards the priest.

"We have gathered here today..."

The priest's voice faded out. All I could focus on was the fact that I was marrying the woman I loved. This beautiful woman. This woman who loved me. Who had loved me all along... scratch that... who had loved me _almost_ all along, apart from years of misunderstandings and, well, stubborn hate. All of this didn't matter because she loved me now. And we were about to get married.

"I do," Ben's soft voice broke my reverie.

The priest then turned to me and asked me the same question. Before he could even finish, I answered, "I do."

The guests chuckled quietly, as did Ben and the priest. I couldn't contain my excitement to marry her, and neither could I contain a smile.

After the ceremony, there was the party. I wanted nothing more than to take Ben away and take that beautiful dress of hers off, but I supposed it wasn't the proper thing to do at our own wedding party.

We had our first dance as husband and wife. We had both, albeit reluctantly, started taking dance lessons a few weeks earlier. Thankfully, no insults passed between us and there was no stepping on toes. On purpose, at least.

After we had danced for a while, other couples gathered on the dance floor. Ben looked relieved that the attention wasn't on us anymore. But she didn't mind my attention. In fact, she rejoiced in it. I could hardly look away, but I forced myself to. If I was going to bear the night, I would have to look at something, _anything_, but that beautiful bride of mine.

I saw Charlie dancing with Jane. He looked awkward and kept stepping on toes, both hers and his own, but Jane laughed through it. They really seemed to be in love. I was happy for them both, and I was happy that they were both there to share this special day of Ben's and my life.

My cousin Richard (you probably don't remember him, do you?) danced with Charlotte. He had his charm on and Charlotte seemed to be falling. I prayed he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She had grown to be a friend of mine through the years and I would never have wanted any harm to come to her. I loved my cousin, but he could be... how do I put this? A bastard?

Ben's parents danced together, and so did mine. Kitty looked horrified while dancing with some old man I had never seen before in my life. To this day, we have no idea who that man was.

Georgie was there too, dancing with her boyfriend, Bellarmine. Pfft. What a stupid name.

Am I protective of my sister? Perhaps.

She's too young to have a boyfriend.

Pfft.

What a stupid name, Bellarmine.

Pfft.

"Don't look like that, Will," Ben said. I realised I was scowling. "Bellar might think you're not that fond of him."

"It's better for him if he knows the truth. I would certainly not want to live a life of lies."

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

After the party, I finally got my wish. I got to remove that dress off her perfect body. This, however, proved to be a harder task than I had expected. The zipper was incredibly hard to get down, and when that was over, the dress was impossible to take off.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, not for the first time that night, as I tried to tug her dress down. She suggested we'd try to pull it up but that wasn't a success either. At last, we gave up. We dropped ourselves down on the enormous bed with a huff.

"I blame mom," Ben said. "She's the one who told me to get this dress."

"It's a beautiful dress, love."

"I know and I love it. But the one I was going to choose was _much_ easier to remove."

My face betrayed a hint of a smile. "I should have known your perverted intentions from the start."

She wiggled her eyebrows and we shared a laugh.

"Hey, Will," she said after a moment of silence. "We're married."

"I know," I said with a large grin. "Mrs. Darcy."

I saw her smile brightly. "I love the sound of that. And I love you."

"I love you, too."

I leaned in and kissed her. This small kiss escalated into something more and soon we were back at trying to peel off her dress. This time we succeeded, thank God, and she lay completely naked beside me. I looked over her body, touching her with the tips of my fingers, and couldn't believe how lucky I was to have her.

I'm not going to give you perverts the satisfaction of knowing what happened next. Maybe I should stop here and start talking of other things. Hmm...

Look over there. A bird. Look at the bird. Such a pretty bird. Oooh! It's flying! It's a pretty, flying bird!

Alright, weird moment over. Let's get serious here.

Charlotte and Richard did hook up on our wedding day but it never got serious. A few years later, Charlotte later got drunk in Vegas and married a guy Jane had once dated. I think his name was Billy, or something like that. Anyways, they got divorced after about three days of marriage and she hasn't spoken to her ex-husband since then. She and Richard happened to meet again somewhere down town and ended up sleeping together... again. They've remained friends, and occasionally sleep together, but nothing more than that. Neither of them really wants to settle down, and both of them like the "benefits" of their friendship. Richard often tells me about their liaisons, though I try to avoid those conversations, and Charlotte tells Ben about them as well. Ben is, however, more willing to participate in those conversations than I am. In fact, she enjoys them immensely.

Jane and Charlie had gotten married shortly after his successful proposal and a year after that they welcomed little Emilia Bingley into the world. Emma had her mother's blue eyes and blonde hair, and her father's quirky sense of humour. She was adored by us all, and spoiled rotten. She was later joined by Henry, and William – named after yours truly – quickly followed him. Ben and I in turn named our eldest child after Charlie. Well, sort of.

Little miss Charlotte Anne Darcy, affectionately known as Charlie, came into the world a little after a year into our marriage. When Ben found out she was expecting, she panicked. It wasn't that she was unhappy with the idea of having a child, she was simply scared shitless.

"Come on, Will. I'm not fit to be a mother. I can't keep a plant alive! I managed to kill a cactus. A cactus! How can I be a good mother if I can't even keep a cactus alive for more than three days?"

"Sweetheart, you'll be a great mother. And it's not like you'll have to raise this baby alone. I'm here and I'll never leave you. I know we can do this together."

I wasn't wrong. Sure, we made mistakes, as all parents do, but I think we managed well.

I still remember how it felt to hold Charlie in my arms for the very first time. She was so small, so fragile, so perfect. The most beautiful thing I had ever created. A spitting image of her mother and, like her mother, knew the right buttons to push to get her way.

I remember looking at Ben as I held little Charlie. She looked tired but so very content. She smiled, tears filling her eyes. I couldn't help but lean down and press my lips to hers. She fell asleep as I hummed to little Charlotte. Charlie, however, didn't sleep. She didn't cry or make a fuss, she just stared at me. I think she was trying to figure out who the hell I was.

Two years after we had Charlie, Thomas Bennet Darcy was born. I will never forget seeing him for the first time. Charlie had been small, but that was nothing compared to Tommy. He had been born almost two months ahead of time and we worried for his life. We worried that he wouldn't truly recover but he was a fighter. Or maybe he was simply like his parents, i.e. stubborn.

"I love that he looks like you, but I hope he didn't inherit your foul temper."

We were standing together by Tommy's incubator, watching him sleep. It was true, he looked like me. He had my dimples and his eyes seemed to be dark. At that moment he was connected to many kinds of tubes and it saddened both of us, though we rarely admitted so aloud.

"Hey! I resent that," I said. "I'm a lovely person. I'm funny, charming, good-looking and very nice tempered."

She guffawed. "Don't kid yourself, Will. _You_'re the reason I hated you for most of my childhood. Just because you didn't like dancing."

"You were the one who stepped on my toes and therefore you were the reason _I _hated _you_ for most of my childhood."

"Give me a break!" she snorted. "You _loved_ me, always."

True.

Very true.

I had loved her. Always.

And I would love her, always.

I put my arm around her and kissed her cheek, looking down on our baby boy sleeping. We had gone through so much together, our lives were filled with bittersweet memories and these were the moments that made it all worth it.

* * *

><p><strong>Snape. Always.<strong>

**I looked up "wedding dress" and Google suggested "wedding dress for men". I got excited and thought there would be pictures of men in dresses, but no. Just suits and tuxedos :( There was however one picture of a man in a wedding dress, and he looked smexeh!**

**You can check my profile for a picture of Lizzy's dress, as well as the dude's.**

**Please be honest about what you think about this chapter. Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings or anything. Just please tell me the truth. _Please._**

**Big thanks and kisses to Nada and Kete. You're awesome!**

**And a big thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me. You all mean a lot to me. I love you, goodbye.**


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